Agatha Christie

What Agatha Christie does

Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) is a UK private limited company (registered number 00550864), founded by Agatha Christie in 1955 and currently chaired and managed by her great-grandson James Prichard, operating as a subsidiary of Acorn Media Group with its registered office in London. The company functions as the sole global rights-management entity for Agatha Christie's literary and media works, administering a catalog of 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, multiple plays including The Mousetrap (the world's longest-running play), the Mary Westmacott romance novels, and iconic detective characters (Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy & Tuppence, Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin, Parker Pyne).

ACL monetizes the IP primarily through licensing royalties across five streams: literary rights (HarperCollins UK/US and William Collins publishing worldwide in 50+ languages), film/TV/stage rights (BBC and Mammoth Screen co-productions, Paramount/20th Century Fox feature films, UK touring theatre productions), video game IP (Microids and Blazing Griffin titles on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and GOG platforms), tabletop games and puzzles (Modiphius Entertainment, Hunt A Killer, Laurence King Publishing), and direct-to-consumer merchandise and affiliate referral commissions via agathachristie.com. Distribution is multi-channel: direct through the official shop and newsletter, via affiliate retailers (Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Folio Society), and through licensed third-party publishers, broadcasters, and game platforms globally. Customer segments span mystery fiction readers, collectors, teachers and students, video game players, mobile gamers (notably the predominantly female June's Journey audience), and theatre/film/TV audiences.

Name

Agatha Christie

Legal name

Agatha Christie Limited

Website

https://agathachristie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Agatha Christie Limited is the UK-based rights-management company founded in 1955 that exclusively licenses Agatha Christie's 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, The Mousetrap play, and iconic detective characters across publishing, film/TV, theatre, video games, tabletop games, puzzles, and merchandise worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary IP Rights Management

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Author Business Tools & Analytics (Royalty Tracking, Pricing, Keyword/Market Research) (MPAJAJAO)

Keywords

• Literary rights licensing
• Mystery fiction publishing
• Detective video games
• Film television adaptations
• Branded merchandise licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Literary rights licensing: Agatha Christie Limited manages global literary and media rights to Agatha Christie's works, generating royalties from publishers (e.g., HarperCollins UK/US, William Collins) and foreign-language editions since 1955.
2. Film, TV and stage rights licensing: Licenses IP to film, television, radio, and theatre producers (e.g., 20th Century Fox/Paramount for Murder on the Orient Express 2017, BBC/Mammoth Screen for And Then There Were None 2015 and The ABC Murders 2018, Kenneth Branagh feature films) for one-off and recurring royalty payments.
3. Video game IP licensing: Licenses Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express and other Christie properties to game publishers (Microids) and developers (Blazing Griffin) for console, PC and physical/digital editions including Deluxe collector releases.
4. Direct merchandise and book sales via shop: Direct-to-consumer merchandise including special-edition hardbacks, jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, board games, and graphic novels retailed through the official Agatha Christie shop and partner retailers.
5. Affiliate referral commissions: Earns a small commission on purchases made through Amazon affiliate links on the agathachristie.com shop pages (disclosed in the website footer).
6. Immersive game product collaborations: Co-developed immersive whodunit games with Hunt A Killer (The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge) sold in Standard ($99) and Collector's ($189) editions via Amazon and Hunt A Killer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Agatha Christie Limited manages the worldwide literary and media rights to Agatha Christie's works (66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, the world's longest-running play The Mousetrap, and the Mary Westmacott romance novels) and licenses them to publishers, broadcasters, film/TV producers, game developers, theatre producers, and merchandise manufacturers. The company also operates the agathachristie.com content hub and direct shop, selling special-edition books, branded puzzles, card and board games, children's titles, and collector editions, with affiliate links to Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and the Folio Society.

Product overview

Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) is a single-company intellectual-property and rights-management portfolio rather than a unified SaaS platform; it manages the worldwide literary and media rights to Agatha Christie's works (66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, The Mousetrap and related short stories, plays, and the Mary Westmacott romance novels) and licenses them across three integrated product categories — (1) Books and literary editions including core Hercule Poirot novels such as Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The ABC Murders, Evil Under The Sun and The Mysterious Affair at Styles, plus the Mary Westmacott romance sub-brand, An Autobiography, graphic novel/manga adaptations and children's tie-ins (Mr Poirot, Little Miss Marple, Seek-and-Find); (2) Film & TV and Stage adaptations such as the 2017 Murder on the Orient Express film, the 2018 BBC/Amazon The ABC Murders, the 2015 BBC And Then There Were None, the upcoming Tommy & Tuppence adaptation and UK touring stage plays including Murder on the Orient Express and The Mousetrap; and (3) Interactive games and puzzles including the 2023 AAA Murder on the Orient Express video game (publisher Microids), Hercule Poirot: The London Case (2023, Blazing Griffin), Hercule Poirot: The First Cases (2021, BAFTA Scotland Best Game 2022), the 2006 Murder on the Orient Express PC game, the 2005 And Then There Were None PC game, the 2009 ABC Murders Nintendo DS game, the Evil Under The Sun PC game, the Death on the Cards card game (Modiphius Entertainment), Agatha Christie Playing Cards, Hunt A Killer: The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge (Hunt A Killer), The World of Agatha Christie 1000-Piece Jigsaw (Laurence King), Agatha Christie Bingo, and the 2026 April three-month June's Journey mobile crossover featuring Hercule Poirot. The agathachristie.com website acts as the marketing and rights hub tying these products together with editorial content, quizzes, puzzles, character pages and the monthly newsletter distributing The World of Agatha Christie Magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mr. Poirot: Children's puzzle book series featuring Hercule Poirot adventures for young readers (e.g., 'Mystery on the Opulent Express', 'Mischief on the Nile').
• Little Miss Marple
• Mary Westmacott
• Agatha Christie's Death on the Cards

Products and services

• Hercule Poirot: The London Case (video game) Detective adventure game in which Hercule Poirot and Captain Arthur Hastings transport a priceless artwork through London and investigate a new mystery. Features mind maps, character profiles, match-puzzle interrogations, first-person inspection and fully voiced script in English, French and German.
• Hercule Poirot: The First Cases (video game) Detective and adventure game starring a young Hercule Poirot in one of his first cases, featuring mind-map deduction, suspect interrogation and exploration at the Van den Bosch family manor. Distributed across Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Steam and GOG.
• Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express (video game) Modernized retelling of Murder on the Orient Express set in 2023 with a new protagonist Joanna Locke; 3rd-person investigation with Poirot's mind maps, deductions and object puzzles across chaptered gameplay. Distributed on Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S and PC.
• The ABC Murders (Nintendo DS game) Handheld Nintendo DS game based on The ABC Murders in which players take on the role of Captain Hastings to investigate the alphabet-killer case.
• Evil Under The Sun (PC game) PC adventure game adaptation of Evil Under The Sun where the player takes the role of Hastings while Poirot guides them through clues to solve the mystery.
• And Then There Were None (PC game) PC adventure game developed by The Adventure Company and the first in a series of Agatha Christie games, adapted from And Then There Were None (the identity of the killer was changed from the novel); later ported to Wii in 2008.
• Murder on the Orient Express (2006 PC game) PC adventure game set on the Orient Express in which the player takes the role of new character Antoinette Marceau working alongside Poirot (voiced by David Suchet) to solve Ratchett's murder.
• Agatha Christie's Death on the Cards (card game) Hidden-traitor deductive card game for 2-6 players (20-40 minute play time) using deduction to unmask the Murderer, recruiting Christie detectives such as Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Ariadne Oliver. Includes 25 detective, 22 event, 18 secret, 4 devious, 10 'not so fast' and 1 'murderer escapes!' card. RRP £14.99 / $19.99.
• Agatha Christie Playing Cards 54-card deck with standard suits, numbers and court cards decorated with Christie-themed illustrations and an accompanying informative booklet; usable as a regular playing card deck. RRP UK £12.99 / US $14.99.
• The World of Agatha Christie 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle 1000-piece jigsaw (48.5 x 68 cm / 19 x 27 in.) illustrated by Ilya Milstein and published by Laurence King, featuring 90 hidden clues referencing Christie's life and works, with a companion fold-out poster. RRP UK £14.99 / US $19.99.
• Hunt A Killer: The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge Cooperative immersive whodunit produced with Hunt A Killer; the player works with Captain Arthur Hastings to investigate the murder of wealthy magnate Harington Pace after Poirot falls ill. 4+ hour play time, 1+ players, ages 14+. Standard Edition $99 via Amazon; Collector's Edition $189 via Hunt A Killer.
• The Mousetrap (stage play) The world's longest-running play, originally written by Agatha Christie, and the flagship theatrical title promoted through the Agatha Christie theatre section.
• Murder on the Orient Express (UK touring stage play) Latest UK touring production of the Murder on the Orient Express stage play promoted via the Agatha Christie theatre section.
• Murder on the Orient Express (2017 film) 2017 20th Century Fox feature film adaptation directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot with an ensemble all-star cast.
• And Then There Were None (2015 BBC TV adaptation) BBC One three-part TV adaptation of And Then There Were None written by Sarah Phelps and produced with Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Productions, released in the UK from 26 December 2015.
• The ABC Murders (2018 BBC TV adaptation) 2018 BBC One television adaptation of The ABC Murders with John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot, premiered in the UK at Christmas 2018 and in the US on Amazon Prime Video in February 2019.
• And Then There Were None (1939 novel) Agatha Christie's 1939 mystery novel, the best-selling crime novel of all time and 2015 World's Favourite Christie. Ten strangers invited to Soldier Island are accused of past crimes and picked off one by one. Translated into more than 50 languages.
• Murder on the Orient Express (1934 novel) Agatha Christie's 1934 Hercule Poirot novel set aboard the stranded Orient Express. Ranked second in the 2015 World Favourite Christie vote. Adapted into the 1974 and 2017 films, BBC Radio 4 drama, graphic novel and 2006 PC game.
• The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926 novel) Agatha Christie's 1926 Hercule Poirot novel, the third Poirot case and the first published by William Collins. Famous for its first-person narrator and twist ending; celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026 with special collector's editions.
• The ABC Murders (1936 novel) Agatha Christie's 1936 Hercule Poirot novel concerning a serial killer working through the alphabet. Adapted into a 1965 film, a 1992 TV episode, BBC Radio 4 drama, Japanese manga/anime, 2009 Nintendo DS game, and the 2018 BBC/Amazon series starring John Malkovich.
• Evil Under The Sun (1940 novel) Agatha Christie's 1940 Hercule Poirot novel set in Devon. Adapted into the 1982 Peter Ustinov film, the 2001 David Suchet TV episode, a PC game, BBC Radio 4 drama and a graphic novel.
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920 novel) Agatha Christie's first published novel (1920), featuring the debut of Hercule Poirot. Written during her WWI hospital dispensary work and adapted for ITV and BBC Radio 4.
• An Autobiography (Agatha Christie memoir) Agatha Christie's autobiography, published posthumously. The 2026 Read Christie reading challenge explores this book with monthly PDF book club guides.
• Mary Westmacott Novels Six romance novels written by Agatha Christie under the pen name Mary Westmacott, marketed and reissued under the Agatha Christie imprint.
• Agatha Christie Manga and Graphic Novels Graphic novel and manga adaptations of Christie's works, including HarperCollins graphic novels of And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express, the ABC Murders anime/manga and the Hercule Poirot Christmas Pudding French graphic novel.
• Mr Poirot children's book series Children's puzzle book series featuring Hercule Poirot adventures for young readers, part of the 'Christie Mysteries to Solve Together' series.
• Little Miss Marple children's book series Children's puzzle book series featuring Miss Marple adventures, part of the 'Christie Mysteries to Solve Together' series.
• Agatha Christie: Seek-and-Find (children's book) Seek-and-find children's book based on the Agatha Christie universe.
• Agatha Christie's Styles: Hercule Poirot's First and Last Cases Boxed Set Commemorative boxed set pairing Christie's first Poirot novel (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) with the last (Curtain) in limited edition hardbacks, available for a limited time to mark 50 years since the publication of Curtain.
• The World of Agatha Christie: 100 Years of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Magazine Special magazine edition distributed as a PDF via the Agatha Christie email newsletter to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
• June's Journey – Agatha Christie Crossover Event Three-month limited in-game crossover between Playtika/Wooga's mobile hidden-object game June's Journey and Agatha Christie Limited, bringing Hercule Poirot into the 1920s-set title with narrative mystery events inspired by Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. Marked the 50th anniversary of Christie's death.

Quantifiable outcome

• Agatha Christie is the world's best-selling novelist of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare
• +6 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Wooga (Playtika-owned)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Playtika-owned Wooga partnered with Agatha Christie Limited to bring Hercule Poirot into the mobile game June's Journey. The crossover launched in April 2026 for three months to mark the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie's death. It combines Christie's classic detective universe with the 1920s-set mobile title via narrative-driven mystery events inspired by Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, leveraging June's Journey's 90% female audience.
• Blazing GriffincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2023Award-winning studio Blazing Griffin (the team behind Hercule Poirot: The First Cases, which won BAFTA Scotland's Best Game Award in 2022) developed Hercule Poirot: The London Case, released August 29, 2023 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, introducing Arthur Hastings as Poirot's sidekick.
• HarperCollins (William Morrow)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHarperCollins (including William Morrow in the US) publishes Agatha Christie's mysteries worldwide and provides teaching guides for classroom use, including Common Core Essentials guides for Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. HarperCollins UK publishes the Ultimate Mystery Edition hardbacks (e.g., And Then There Were None 2024).
• Microids (with Microids Studio Lyon and Cédric Peyravernay)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMicroids published Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express, a modernized retelling set in 2023 released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S and PC, with a Deluxe Edition including a 48-page artbook, digital soundtrack and Orient Express ticket bookmark. Development was led by Microids Studio Lyon with artistic direction by Cédric Peyravernay.
• Laurence King PublishingminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLondon-based Laurence King Publishing (established 1991) published The World of Agatha Christie: A 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle, illustrated by Ilya Milstein (2018 ADC Young Guns winner), featuring 90 Christie-themed clues. RRP UK £14.99 / US $19.99. Also publishes Agatha Christie Playing Cards.
• Hunt A KillerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Hunt A Killer: The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge, an immersive whodunit game in which players work with Arthur Hastings. Standard Edition $99 via Amazon; Collector's Edition $189 via Hunt A Killer, including additional props. Play time 4+ hours, 1+ players, ages 14+.
• Modiphius EntertainmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorModiphius Entertainment is the games partner distributing Agatha Christie's Death on the Cards hidden-traitor card game for 2-6 players (RRP £14.99 / $19.99), with international shipping, alongside Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and Amazon.
• Folio SocietyminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThe Folio Society produces limited-edition Christie hardbacks including the 100th-anniversary edition of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (£55 UK / $80 US, illustrated by Owen Gent) and a haunting Endless Night Folio edition with illustrations by Hokyoung Kim.
• Acorn Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcorn Media Group is the parent company of Agatha Christie Limited (ACL). Agathachristie.com is owned and managed by ACL as 'an Acorn Media Group company.'
• The Christie Archive TrustminorOthersThe Christie Archive Trust holds Agatha Christie's personal archives and contributes articles, text and images to the official Agatha Christie Limited website.
• BBC and Mammoth Screen (Sarah Phelps adaptations)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRecurring co-production partnership with BBC and Mammoth Screen for Agatha Christie adaptations, including The Witness for the Prosecution (winner of Best Single Drama at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2017 and Best Short Form TV Drama at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards 2017), And Then There Were None (BBC One, three parts from 26 Dec 2015; Writers' Guild nomination 2016), and The ABC Murders (BBC One, Christmas 2018; Amazon Prime Video US, February 2019).
• Paramount Pictures (20th Century Fox) / Kenneth BranaghcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner20th Century Fox released the 2017 feature film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot alongside Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, Tom Bateman, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Gad, Marwan Kenzari and Lucy Boynton.
• Retailers: Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.orgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBooks, special editions and merchandise are sold through Amazon (US/UK), Waterstones, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org via affiliate and direct links from the official shop. Agatha Christie Limited earns a small commission on Amazon affiliate purchases (disclosed in site footer).
• EU service providers (website hosting, IT, security, fraud prevention)minorOthersACL discloses in its Privacy Policy the use of EU-based website hosting/development, IT/system administration/security and fraud prevention/detection service providers, including web security partners that protect against misuse of the website.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ravensburger: Ravensburger is a major European games and puzzle publisher with a heritage IP-licensing business (e.g., Disney, Marvel, classic art puzzles). Comparable to ACL as a puzzle/games counterparty in the same consumer-product category where Laurence King and Modiphius operate.
• HarperCollins: HarperCollins is ACL's core global publishing partner (William Morrow in the US, HarperCollins UK) and a broad incumbent in trade publishing. Comparable as a scaled publisher of comparable author estates and a structural dependency / peer for ACL's print revenue stream.
• Penguin Random House: Penguin Random House is the world's largest trade publisher and a natural broad-incumbent peer as the publishing backbone for many comparable literary estates; ACL's HarperCollins partnership shows how it fits within this larger publishing ecosystem for distribution and rights flow.
• Hasbro: Hasbro owns major gaming and puzzle IP (Clue/Cluedo — directly inspired by Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit) and operates a global licensed-games business. Broad incumbent in the same mass-market mystery/games category where ACL's Death on the Cards and Poirot games compete.

Direct peers

• The Roald Dahl Story Company: The Roald Dahl Story Company (acquired by Netflix in 2021 for ~$686M) manages rights to Roald Dahl's literary catalog for film, TV, gaming and consumer products. A near-direct analogue to ACL: single-author British literary estate with multi-format licensing at scale and similar anniversary-driven monetization cycles.
• The Tolkien Estate: The Tolkien Estate controls literary and adaptation rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth canon — globally the largest comparable privately held literary IP estate. Demonstrates the upper bound of literary estate valuation (Amazon reportedly paid ~$250M solely for LOTR TV rights), informing ACL's potential.
• Ian Fleming Publications: Ian Fleming Publications manages literary and media rights to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and short stories globally — the closest analogue to Agatha Christie Limited's single-author British literary estate model. Both license iconic detective/spy IP across film, gaming and merchandise, with comparable licensing governance structures.
• Pooh Properties (Stephen Slesinger Inc / Disney): Pooh Properties manages A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh literary rights — a comparable heritage British literary estate with deep licensing revenue from consumer products, games, and theme-park/film adaptations, illustrating the long-tail economics of classic children's/literary IP.
• Frederick Warne & Co (Beatrix Potter): Frederick Warne & Co manages Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit literary and merchandising rights globally — comparable as a heritage British author estate with strong merchandise/puzzle/games licensing and multi-generational audience reach, similar in scale and longevity to ACL's catalog.
• The Conan Doyle Estate: The Conan Doyle Estate controls literary rights to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works — directly comparable as a heritage British detective literary IP managed through licensing for film, TV, gaming and merchandise, with similar regulatory moat discussions around the public-domain status of early Holmes stories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agathachristie
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2EwCt90flAFdp3lofJWSbA
• Facebookfacebook.com/officialagathachristie
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialagathachristie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agatha Christie