French second edition of 'golden owl' treasure hunt delayed
Launched in France in 1993, the last edition
ended only in October 2024
when the elusive golden owl was finally found after decades of searching by thousands of sleuths from around the world.
"The hunt has not been cancelled at all," Michel Becker told AFP, denying claims that had been circulating about "Golden Owl 2", which had originally been scheduled to begin in early May.
"Launching a game like this, in such a negative context, is not something that we can do. We want to work in a calmer climate, so we're giving ourselves a some time to see what happens," said Becker, the game's co-inventor.
The previous golden owl was found in Dabo in eastern France, according to Becker.
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Golden owls to fine wines - 5 of France's biggest treasure hunts
But this outcome was immediately cast into doubt by some die-hard followers of the cult game who questioned the published solutions to the riddles.
Adding to the tension, the author of a book entitled "The Golden Owl, a 30 Year Scam" was in April convicted of defamation against Michel Becker by a Strasbourg court.
Faced with this "turbulent period", "the Golden Owl will see the light of day again under other skies, in other hands, dedicated to more positive passions", Becker said on Monday on the Discord social network, where clues are shared.
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The exact start date for this new edition remains to be determined.
A documentary film about the hunt for the golden owl hit cinemas in May while a book on the solutions is also due to be published.
The golden owl was buried in April 1993 in a location that had to be identified using 11 puzzles in a book.
Unearthing what was only a replica replica earned the prize of winning the owl, a valuable sculpture made of precious metals.
The game's creator, Regis Hauser, known under the pseudonym Max Valentin, died in 2009. After a dispute between his heirs and Michel Becker, who had put the game on hold, it was relaunched in 2021.
The actual golden owl is a 10 kilogram gold and silver sculpture encrusted with diamonds.
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