Here’s what we know so far about, ‘On the Trail of the Golden Owl: The Bird of Prey’.
This new treasure hunt was originally planned to launch in autumn 2025, but an announcement on May 19th stated the project is indefinitely delayed.
The announcement from Michel Becker on the official Discord server said:
The incredible story of the Golden Owl is currently facing a turbulent chapter, marked by denial, criticism, unfounded rumours, harassment, and insults circulating in many of your comments. Some individuals have even gone so far as to supply corrosive pseudo-information to the media, which in turn has spread defamatory claims.
Regarding the now-deceased author, such a hateful and absurd conspiracy theory is completely unfounded. It merely reflects the persistent denial of reality by disappointed players—the very same people who, just a few years ago, were calling for the game to be relaunched when we could have simply ended it.
Distressed by this toxic atmosphere, the co-authors, collaborators, partners, and I have decided to postpone the remainder of the game. The Golden Owl will rise again, under different skies, in new hands, driven by more positive passions.
In light of this, the upcoming Book of Solutions will not include the first puzzle shown in the film The Discovery of the Golden Owl. Instead, it will contain additional material allowing readers to reconstruct the path of Max Valentin’s floppy disk. Naturally, this change entitles anyone who wishes to do so to cancel their pre-order and receive a full refund. The new publication date will be announced at a later time.
To the winners—and to all those who have approached this extraordinary saga with perspective and generosity, never forgetting that it is, above all, a game—I extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations for the moments of wonder and connection we’ve shared.
It is disappointing news, as the new hunt sounded like an exciting venture. It was aimed at an international audience with clue books in both French and English. The prize supposedly had a value of between €250,000 and €300,000.
Michel Becker said, “Golden Owl 2″ would begin “exactly where the first one was buried.” Perhaps Dabo in France?
The clues in the new hunt were designed to lead all over the world. An article in a French paper said the hunt would be designed by Michel Becker, along with, ‘Aurore Beuron, a 28-year-old engineer and treasure hunting enthusiast, and David Pattyn, ‘a computer scientist-developer who has been designing riddles for quite some time.’
It was my understanding that the design would be similar to the first hunt with perhaps 11 or 12 short clue texts and pictures. Becker suggested the hunt could last, “between 3 and 6 years.” He added, “but I could be wrong.” I guess there’s always a possibility of a 31 year long hunt!
The first clue, labelled ‘0’ was shown at the end of the ‘Discovery of the Golden Owl’ film. It has been circulating online, and is copied here. However, this is an early version and not ready to solve yet!
The image appears to show three stones. This echoes the three Borne Saint-Martin stones that were the ‘sentinels’ of the first treasure hunt.
The text says:
Énigme 0
LA MÉTRIQUE MESURE CE QUE TON PIED SAIT SCANDER
La lumière sourd de la chambre du roi
Visibles sous trois angles, tels des oiseaux tournoyant en orbe autour de leur proie,
ces sentinelles sont prêtes à fondre sur elle.
In English, this translates as:
Riddle 0
The meter measures what your foot knows how to scan
The light seeps from the king’s chamber
Visible from three angles, like birds circling in orbit around their prey,
these sentinels are ready to swoop down upon it.
There are numbers in a grid in the background. Do these have some connection to the numbers used in the solution to the first owl hunt?
I very much hope that this project is resumed soon, I’m excited to see how this new hunt plays out.
If you want a notification when this hunt launches add yourself to my mailing list.