🧩 A New Puzzle by NYTimes

Dear Reader, 

You’re reading the monthly newsletter from Amuse Labs, covering the world of puzzles, publishing, and updates to PuzzleMe™, the most advanced digital platform for smart games. 

Spinning a New Look for Morning Brew’s Turntable

We’ve collaborated with Morning Brew to launch a custom-themed version of their popular Word Flower puzzle called Turntable. Designed to look like a classic turntable used to play vinyl records, this puzzle delivers a delightful surprise: When solvers discover the pangram, the turntable spins to celebrate the win.

This unique, interactive reward is a perfect example of how custom animations can elevate the solving experience and deepen brand engagement. Such details create memorable moments within a puzzle, keeping solvers coming back for more. 

NYTimes Adds Logic Game ‘Pips’ to Its Lineup

The New York Times has launched Pips, its first original logic puzzle, adding another game to its portfolio. The game challenges players to fit domino-style pieces into a grid while satisfying specific mathematical conditions, offering a fresh and stimulating mental workout for logic fans.

With Pips, the Times is adding more variety to its games offering, making sure it has a puzzle for every type of solver. This highlights the effectiveness of a “portfolio of games” approach,  with different puzzles for different types of solvers. If you’d like to expand your games portfolio beyond the usuals, talk to us today. 

University Magazines Use Puzzles to Engage Alumni

Harvard Magazine is now publishing three weekly puzzles to keep alumni engaged and entertained. With PuzzleMe games, the magazine has found an innovative way to evoke nostalgia within the university’s alumni. The jigsaw, for example, is often a picture of one of the university’s well-known buildings. The word chosen for Letterpress, their Wordle-style game, is often linked to a recent story by the magazine.

We’ve seen magazines from Princeton University and University of Sydney use PuzzleMe to engage alumni. It’s exciting to see these publications find fun ways to keep alumni in touch with their universities. If you would like puzzles related to your alma mater, you can now reach out to them with these fantastic examples!

From the Crossworld

PuzzleMe Spotlight

A selection of updates from PuzzleMe, the most advanced digital platform for games

1. Slack Leaderboards with PuzzleMe

We’re thrilled to announce that the PuzzleMe for Slack app is now officially available in the Slack App Directory. Any team can now install the app to bring the power of puzzles directly into their workspace, fostering community and friendly competition.

Once the app is installed, anyone in the workspace can share a PuzzleMe game by typing /play followed by the puzzle link. The app will then post a message where team members can get their own personal play links and view a real-time leaderboard of their colleagues’ scores. It’s a perfect tool for boosting employee engagement or keeping any online community active and connected.

2. Create Jigsaws with PuzzleMe AI

Unleash your creativity with our latest feature: AI image generation for PuzzleMe jigsaws. Now, you no longer need to search for the perfect image for your puzzle. You can create it yourself directly within the PuzzleMe platform using simple text prompts.

From “a cat reading a book in a library” to “a vibrant coral reef teeming with neon fish,” the possibilities are endless. This tool empowers creators to produce completely unique, imaginative, and high-quality artwork that perfectly matches their theme or vision, making every jigsaw puzzle a delight to solve.

3. Smarter Hints for Word Flower

We’ve upgraded the hint system in Word Flower to be more flexible and helpful for solvers. Previously, asking for a hint would reveal only the first letter of an undiscovered word and the number of letters it contains. Based on user feedback, we’ve made this system more helpful.

Now, players who are still stuck after the first letter can choose to reveal another letter in the same word, and then another, and so on until they have the clue they need. This enhancement gives solvers more control over the difficulty, ensuring a more enjoyable and less frustrating experience for players of all skill levels.

About Us

Amuse Labs is the creator of PuzzleMe™, the leading digital platform for Smart Games. It is a B2B SaaS company trusted globally by brands and publishers, powering Crosswords, Sudokus, Jigsaws, Quizzes, Word Searches and more. Explore opportunities to partner by sending a note or applying if you’d like to work with us!