🧩 New Year, New Puzzles!










🧩 New Year, New Puzzles!

Your monthly digest from the world of puzzles and games

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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. 

    Publications Get Creative with Holiday Games

    The end of the year is the perfect time to get creative with puzzles, and in that regard, 2024 did not disappoint. Here are some fresh takes on holiday puzzles that caught our eye last month: 

    The New Yorker continued their annual tradition of a year-end Cartoons and Puzzles Issue, featuring themed holiday crosswords. We collaborated with them to create the online experience for a special spiral called Yule Log, created by constructor Patrick Berry.

    The Globe and Mail released their 2024 Giant Holiday Crossword, which can be played online with PuzzleMe. We’ve included clue display on hover and other nifty updates to make this giant puzzle enjoyable online, whether for solving alone or with a friend in multiplayer mode.

    The Irish Times ran a subscriber-only Christmas Crossword Competition with three crosswords of varying difficulty levels. This thoughtful approach allowed subscribers of all skill levels to participate meaningfully in the competition.

      LA Times Expands Games Portfolio with Word Flower

      The Los Angeles Times recently launched Word Flower, expanding beyond their established offerings like the daily crossword or the news quiz. This addition reflects a strategic approach to audience engagement, aiming to provide a variety of games that appeal to different types of solvers.

      We’re glad to see the Los Angeles Times solidifying their portfolio of games with this delightful Word Flower series. Diverse puzzle offerings help publications reach and retain broader audiences, with each format serving distinct user preferences and solving styles. 

      Invest in a portfolio of games

      With PuzzleMe, you can pick from a wide variety of smart games to build a robust games hub for your audience. Talk to us today to get help on your games strategy. 


      Online Sudokus in Japanese with Lifehacker

      Lifehacker Japan launched Japanese-language Sudoku puzzles using PuzzleMe last month. This partnership marks another step in our aim of making online puzzle-solving accessible to a global audience. 

      The implementation demonstrates the growing demand for localized puzzle content. As a reminder, PuzzleMe supports over 35 languages, enabling publishers from across the world to create culturally relevant puzzle experiences for local audiences.

      From the Crossworld

      We were delighted to see America’s puzzle master Will Shortz back at The New York Times Games department after suffering from two strokes last year. Read about his recovery in this profile.

      Crossword constructor T Campbell published an authoritative roundup of notable events in crosswords in 2024. It includes interesting clues, new hires, funny crossword memes, new launches and more. 

      PuzzleMe Spotlight

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

      1. Compete with Colleagues on Slack

      We think offices where employees compete with each other in games can be the most enjoyable places to work. That’s why we’re excited to announced that we’re integrating PuzzleMe with Slack to make it possible for team members to compete to see who can solve a crossword the fastest. Our native Slack app will let you share PuzzleMe games with colleagues and compare your performance on Slack leaderboards.

      PuzzleMe Contests for Slack is currently in development. We’d love to hear from you about features you’d like to see in the app, or any other integrations you want with PuzzleMe. Please write to us at puzzlemaster@amuselabs.com. 

      2. Elevate Contests with Spectator Mode

      Puzzle contests come alive when you get to see contestants compete to finish their puzzles first. PuzzleMe’s brand new Spectator Mode brings that experience online, allowing up to four contestants to solve simultaneously while the audience watches.

      Boswords, a Boston-based crossword tournament, already utilizes Spectator mode for its finale. The feature will now be available to all PuzzleMe users on the Professional plan or higher. We can’t wait to see how you utilize Spectator Mode to power your puzzle contests.

      3. Find More Words For Your Grid with AI

      PuzzleMe’s “Find more words” is one of the platform’s most powerful features, helping creators get more words that can fit in their existing crossword. We are now taking it a step further with AI CoPilot.

      You can now find more words for your grid based on a theme using CoPilot. In the example above, PuzzleMe only suggests words that fit the theme and can be added to your existing grid. Create a crossword today and try this magical new feature for yourself. 

      Puzzle of the Month

      The Harvard Independent, a student-run weekly newspaper at Harvard University, published a snowman-themed crossword. We love to see PuzzleMe being used in such creative ways. 


      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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      Nishant Kauntia
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