Frequently Asked Questions

Product

Which types of games do you support?

We support a wide range of smart games, including crosswords, word searches, sudokus, Wordle-style games and much more. Please look at the games page to see the full list of games we support.

If we do not have support for the format you are looking for, please contact us.

Does PuzzleMe have multiplayer mode?

Yes, we have multiplayer mode available right out of the box for crosswords, sudokus, word searches, and jigsaws. Players will be able to find the option to invite other players on the navigation bar of the game.

Which languages and character sets does the platform support? Can it support special characters?

Our platform supports Unicode and international character sets, so the content of the clues or grid can be in any language. The crossword interface itself (e.g. the menu options and help messages) are currently available in over 30 languages, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Norwegian, German, Slovak, Telugu and other languages. Contact us if you need support for your language!

PuzzleMe fully supports clues and answers in non-English alphabets. For typing in answers, PuzzleMe’s on-screen keyboard for mobile devices will automatically introduce special characters required for a puzzle’s locale (for example, in Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, etc.) Indic language puzzles will always show an on-screen keyboard in the respective language.

Where do the puzzles come from? Do you also supply them?

Many of our users create or purchase their own crosswords for use on our platform, but we can supply English mini crosswords owned by Amuse Labs. For other languages or needs, we can work with publishers to identify appropriate sources. Crossword puzzles are sometimes country (and of course, language) specific, so you know the best type of puzzles for your audience. For example, even in English puzzles, American, British and Canadian styles can be subtly different.

If you already have a print puzzle, we can work with your syndicate or constructor to see if we can import the print puzzles into our platform. If the puzzles are already available in standard formats like .puz or .jpz or .xml, there is no problem at all. Sometimes we can write custom converters for other formats.

If you do not have a readily available source of content, we can work with you to identify appropriate constructors. We work with several professional puzzle constructors and syndicates, and can identify one who is appropriate for your needs.

With PuzzleMe creator, you can also create your own puzzles in minutes.

Note: If you run a video ad, it will come from your advertising system. PuzzleMe can integrate with any VAST compliant ads system (such as DFP video) very easily.

Can you help me find good puzzles?

Certainly. If you need crossword puzzles, we can refer you to a panel of expert constructors or content syndicates in different languages. Costs for these puzzles vary depending on puzzle size, exclusivity, frequency, etc.

We can provide all kinds of Sudoku puzzles along with our platform, as well as some word search puzzles.

I have offline puzzles. Can I still use PuzzleMe to make them playable online?

Yes, you can! PuzzleMe creator has a way you can start from an empty grid and directly type in the answers and clues. Publishers whose constructors or syndicates don’t provide digital files often use this route to enter their puzzles directly, following which they can embed the puzzle just like one that was imported from another construction tool. Of course, you still need to ensure that you have rights to run the puzzle online.

Integration

How do I integrate the PuzzleMe™ platform into my CMS or blog?

We deliver the puzzle as an iframe. It is very easy to embed in one of your CMS pages, just as you might embed a YouTube video or a tweet on an article page. It requires no integration with or changes to your CMS.

If you are embedding puzzles into your blog, you can either use our PuzzleMe WordPress plugin or use the puzzle embed code directly. In either case, ensure that your site supports iframes. (Some sites like wordpress.com may turn off iframes for free plans.) If you are unable to embed a puzzle in your blog, you can still share the URL of the puzzle on our site.

Can I change the look and feel of my puzzles?

Yes, you can. Just go to the “Series Design” option on your dashboard. You will be able to select fonts, colors, masthead and print appearance of your puzzles. These options are available for different games types, including crossword, sudoku and word search.

How long does it take to integrate PuzzleMe? What is needed from my side?

We work with your teams in tech, ads, content and design as needed. Once setup is done, no regular involvement is needed from your side. A simple implementation can be up and running in minutes. If you need customization and theming it can take 2-3 weeks.

 

Are you GDPR and CCPA compliant? How do you handle privacy?

Yes, we are. Briefly, the only data that we hold is anonymized game state for partially played puzzles. If you are a publisher partner, we view you as the data controller, and us as a data processor holding or using the data according to your instructions. We do not record or retain any personally identifiable information. If you are a publisher with signed-in users, we ask that you pass our iframe a hashed user id, so that the user gets the benefit of moving their puzzles between devices, without Amuse Labs needing to know the user’s real identity.

Can you build a subscription puzzles app for us?

We can help publishers build subscription apps for their puzzles. Some example subscription products powered by PuzzleMe are a web-based subscription product from The Hindu, a leading Indian broadsheet, and native apps from The Guardian that are available for both iOS and Android.

Do you have a solution for mobile apps?

Note that our web-based platform is designed to be responsive, so the puzzles can be played nicely on a mobile or tablet web browser. If needed, you can incorporate this page in a native app for mobile devices.

The New Yorker’s Today app for iOS has an excellent integration with puzzles delivered through PuzzleMe that is easy to set up.

Can I edit my puzzle with PuzzleMe and integrate the output with my print system?

Yes, you can. After you create your puzzle, from the preview page, you can select several print options, including the option to print only the grid, solution, clues, etc. Publishers can directly import these elements into their publishing system. Contact us for more advanced print needs.

Business Terms

What's your pricing?

Our preferred model is a flat per-gameplay charge (with a reasonable monthly minimum), so that you and we both benefit as usage grows. We can also support other pricing models depending on how you’re going to use the platform.

For pricing details please contact us: puzzlemaster@amuselabs.com

How do I monetize my puzzles?

Some ways you could monetize your puzzles are through:

  • Video pre-roll advertising: the drop-off due to video pre-roll is negligible in the case of crosswords. Since users are going to spend 10-20 minutes on the page, they don’t mind seeing a 15 second video clip. Also, crosswords are a habit — users know exactly what they are getting into, so they don’t get turned off by ads in front of some content of whose value they are unsure.
  • Display advertising: You can easily have multiple ads on a page – perhaps a top leaderboard, a side-skyscraper and a bottom leaderboard as well. You can rotate the ads too to get a large number of impressions per play.
  • Sponsorship: Crosswords and other puzzles appeal to a highly literate and affluent audience, which sponsors want to reach. A simple backdrop, or sponsored-by message can be displayed on the screen for their benefit.
  • Subscriptions: Puzzles are amongst the biggest draws for getting users to subscribe. A $20 subscription/month is an easy sell to a customer who has a habit of solving crosswords and cumulatively spends several hours playing them every month.

Our team has extensive expertise in consulting publishers on monetizing their puzzle products. Please contact us for more information.

Can I put the puzzles behind my paywall?

Yes – simply build a CMS page that is already behind the paywall. You can embed the puzzle in an iframe on this page. We can ensure that accesses to the iframe are allowed only from your walled site.

Can I make a puzzle part of an interactive ad?

Yes! We have launched interactive ad units specifically for this purpose. Find out more about them on the page for interactive ads.

 

I'm a local business. Can I use your puzzle platform to engage customers and generate leads?

Certainly. Depending on your audience, we can identify a puzzle type that works well. The puzzles can be built and themed as per your business and brand requirements, and distributed using omni-channel marketing. For example, they could be run through social media accounts, or distributed with a QR code printed on a box, receipt or even in-store. You can collect leads, track solver performance, and provide coupons or rewards to customers. Our analytics will tell you how well your campaign is doing with data such as how many solvers finished the puzzle, the fastest or average time, etc.

Puzzle Creation

I'm not an expert. How do I use PuzzleMe creator?

You don’t have to be a pro to use our PuzzleMe creator. Just type in your content and click the button ‘Create game’. PuzzleMe does the rest from laying out a grid to providing embed codes, to tracking detailed analytics to enabling social sharing.

If you would like professionally constructed puzzles on a topic, we can help by referring you to our panel of constructors.

How does the scoring work?

Different games have different scoring rules. Please see the Help section under the hamburger menu at top left of the player for other relevant instructions.

 

Do I need an account to create puzzles?

While you can initially create a puzzle without logging in, you’ll need to login in order to manage your puzzle or save it beyond 30 days. We recommend using your Gmail or Facebook account to log in. There is no separate PuzzleMe registration or login. The User/Password mechanism on the login page is only for our partners.

Once logged in, you’ll be able to get an embed code to embed puzzles (or a series of puzzles, with a picker) into your pages. Additionally, you can access all your puzzles and view detailed analytics through your account.

After you create your puzzle, you can log in to access embedding options and publish your puzzle.

Do I need an account to play puzzles?

No, you do not.

However, some creators may want you to supply some form of identification, especially when running a contest, so they can contact you if you win.

Can I add multimedia to puzzles I created on other tools?

Yes, you can. Simply import the puzzle into the PuzzleMe creator using our upload function, and then edit the clues to add multimedia to them. Clues can have text, multimedia, or both.

Still got questions?

Reach out to us and we’d be happy to help.

Puzzle template