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.
NYTimes Reports on Puzzles and Publishing
“Grab Them. Then Stump Them.” That’s the headline of a new story by The New York Times on why publishers and tech companies alike are launching puzzle offerings. Here are three key insights from the story:
A doom-and-gloom alternative: For newspapers, games have historically served as a lighthearted alternative to hard news. With conflicts raging in multiple parts of the world, publishers are now employing online games for similar ends.
Games + News = Retention: Jonathan Knight, Director of Games at The New York Times, revealed that subscribers who engage with games and news in any given week retain their subscriptions longer than other cohorts. “We’re seeing some of the best long-term subscriber retention from that pattern,” Knight said.
Publications as experiences: John Temple, Chairman at Amuse Labs, told the Times that publications should be seen as holistic experiences, not just stories. “A publication is more than the stories it produces. It’s an experience to look forward to.”
Morning Brew’s New Pop-Culture Word Puzzle
Do you consider yourself to be a movie buff? If yes, Morning Brew’s recent Decipher the Quote puzzle is the perfect brainteaser for you. This game challenges solvers to string together a group of letters to form a famous quote.
Decipher the Quote is the perfect format for a pop-culture puzzle, and can be used for any other topic, from history to science. We’re thrilled that Morning Brew is leading the way in launching this type of puzzle.
Guess the famous movie quote here. All we’ll say is that we have a feeling you’re going to enjoy this one.
6AM City Launches Local Crosswords
6AM City, a media company with successful newsletters in 26 U.S. cities, has added games to its offerings for local communities. See, for example, this games section for GVLtoday, a publication dedicated to news and events in Greenville, South Carolina.
At Amuse Labs, we’ve always believed that games can bring communities together by offering avenues for members to put their shared knowledge to use. We’re happy to support 6AM City in attracting and sustaining local audiences.
From the Crossworld
The Westwords Crossword tournament took place on June 23rd, with solvers of all abilities and difficulty levels participating. The online version, which had more than 200 participants, was held using PuzzleMe’s contest mode. Congratulations to Paolo Pasco for winning the in-person tournament!
Atlas Obscura has opened signups for its course on How to Create a Crossword Puzzle this September. The four-session series will be taught by New Yorker constructers Brooke Husic and Natan Last. The publication recently interviewed them about their creation process and much more.
PuzzleMe Spotlight
A selection of updates from PuzzleMe, the most advanced digital platform for
word and logic games
1. Embed PuzzleMe Games on Medium
We’re happy to announce that PuzzleMe games can now be embedded on Medium. Just paste the direct link to your puzzle on a Medium post, and voila! You’ve got a playable crossword in your Medium post.
2. A Large Grid on Canada Day
The Globe and Mail published a giant crossword for Canada Day, and we worked with them to ensure a smooth online solving experience. This puzzle makes for the perfect weekend solve, and is double the fun with PuzzleMe’s multiplayer mode.
To ensure that solvers can navigate large grid without friction, we built a special feature that shows you the relevant clues when you hover on the grid. If you’d like to enable this feature in your crosswords, reach out to us and we’d be happy to set it up for you.
3. Voice-Over Mode for Accessibility
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!
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