Mar 12Jay PetersS-Tier.The New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle is celebrating its 2,500th edition today. To mark the occasion, todays puzzle is the first with the letter S, which should open up a lot of fun possibilities for words. Try it here.2,500th Spelling Bee Puzzle | The New York Times Company[nytco.com]Dec 12, 2024Jay PetersSamsungs daily trivia game is coming to phones.The Six, which launched in June on Samsung Smart TVs, is launching today in the Samsung News app on Galaxy phones.Heres Samsungs description of the game, if youre interested:The Six offers daily trivia challenges where players compete by answering six questions on topics ranging from entertainment to world history, with faster correct answers earning higher scores.Samsung News App Gets Gamified with Arrival of Popular Trivia Game, The Six[Samsung U.S. Newsroom]Dec 5, 2024Jay PetersA Strands archive has shut down because of an NYT DMCA takedown notice.A Strands-maker website had also hosted an archive of The New York Times Strands puzzles, but the archive is gone now. The DMCA notice, which has been viewed by The Verge, was shared with the developer of the website yesterday.Last month, I reported that the NYT sent a cease and desist letter to have an unauthorized Connections archive removed.Nov 22, 2024Jay PetersOne free Connections archive: gone.After receiving a cease and desist letter from The New York Times, the owner of a Connections creator that also had a full archive of the NYTs puzzles has removed it. You can still make puzzles on the site and play other creations, if you want.That Heres why link points to my piece from earlier this week. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeNov 20, 2024Jay PetersThe New York Times is trying to shut down a popular Connections puzzle creatorA screenshot of todays NYT Connections on the alternate puzzle creator. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeThe New York Times wants to shut down a copy of its popular Connections word game. The publication sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of a website that lets you make your own Connections games. The site also has a full archive of all of the NYTs past Connections puzzles, which the NYT keeps behind a paywall.The Connections creator website is built and run by Anthony Salazar, a freelance web developer who runs the creative studio Swellgarfo. Earlier this month, striking New York Times tech workers used Salazars Connections tool to make their own strike-themed puzzle. Salazar previously told me that he built the archive using the NYTs publicly available API.Read Article >Nov 14, 2024Andrew WebsterWords With Friends takes on Wordle with new single-player daily puzzlesPhoto by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeWordles success has caused an explosion in newspaper-style puzzle games, and now Words With Friends is getting in on the action. The long-running word game is adding four solo modes that can be played daily, and theyll sound familiar to those who use The New York Times gaming app.The new games include a mini crossword puzzle; a word search; Word Wheel, which is about connecting letters to create words; and a word guessing game called Guess Word. You can see what they all look like in the gallery below:Read Article >Nov 6, 2024Jay PetersNYT tech workers are making their own games while on strikeMembers of the Times Tech Guild picket outside of the New York Times headquarters on November 4th, 2024. Photo by Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesStriking New York Times tech workers have created a Guild Builds page dedicated to strike-themed games you can play, including a spin on Wordle, a word search, and the custom Connections I reported on earlier today.As part of its strike announcement on Monday, the New York Times Tech Guild requested that people dont cross the digital picket line to play the NYTs daily puzzle games. This collection of five other games offers an alternative if you want to support the striking workers but also do some brain teasers.Read Article >Nov 6, 2024Jay PetersStriking NYT tech workers made a custom Connections so you dont cross the picket lineStriking New York Times tech workers have created a custom Connections puzzle so fans can get their daily fix without crossing the digital picket line.The Strike Edition puzzle was made on a website that lets people create their own Connections. The workers, part of the New York Times Tech Guild, specifically asked NYT readers not to play NYT games when the strike began on Monday, so the custom puzzle offers a way to play while still respecting the Guilds wishes.Read Article >Oct 31, 2024Andrew WebsterA meditative take on sudoku that changes with the weatherImage: PuzzmoThe Weather Channel can be a very useful website, but thats mostly true when the weather is bad. So when the company began collaborating with the Hearst-owned puzzle platform Puzzmo, it had a specific goal: to get people coming to the site even when its nice out. Why would you check the weather on a sunny day? veteran game designer Zach Gage remembers asking himself. Eventually, the Puzzmo team came up with an answer in the form of Weather Memoku, an extremely chill game that combines elements of memory, sudoku, and, well, the weather.A very important idea was: can we change checking the weather from being a thing you check off your to-do list, to being a chance to take a moment for yourself? explains Gage.Read Article >Oct 28, 2024Andrew WebsterGood morning sports fans.As part of its burgeoning lineup of games, the New York Times has just released a new version of Connections, this one focused entirely on sports trivia from The Athletic. Because everyone is getting in on daily games, the NHL also recently launched its own Connections-style game called Lines, which, obviously, is full of hockey-themed puzzles.Play Connections: Sports Edition[www.nytimes.com]Oct 25, 2024Jay PetersDaily sudoku is coming to Apple News Plus.The sudoku puzzles are part of iOS 18.2 in the US, as reported by MacRumors. There are three difficulty levels you can pick from.The new puzzles join the apps crossword, mini crossword, and a Scrabble-like game called Quartiles.iOS 18.2 Adds Daily Sudoku Puzzles for Apple News+ Subscribers in U.S.[MacRumors]Oct 22, 2024Jay PetersNetflix is getting a daily word game from TED.Slide rows of scrambled letters to spell words in this thought-provoking word puzzle game from TED, according to the App Store description for the new game, TED Tumblewords. Seems like the game is trying to be Netflixs Wordle.The new game is set to launch on November 19th on Android and iOS, though youll need a Netflix subscription to be able to play it.Images: NetflixOct 8, 2024Jay PetersNYT Games is testing Zorse, a new phrase guessing puzzle gamePhoto by Alexandra Schuler / picture alliance via Getty ImagesThe New York Times is starting to beta test a new puzzle game called Zorse, as reported by Semafor. The game is a new phrase guessing game where every puzzle is a mash-up of two phrases, NYT spokesperson Jordan Cohen says in a statement to The Verge. As Semafor points out, the Zorse name identifies the offspring of a zebra and another equine, so it seems like the game will focus on wordplay like that.Cohen says Zorse is currently only available in Canada, meaning I cant play it myself. But my Canada-based colleague Andrew Webster gave it a shot and told me about it; the game sounds a bit like Wheel of Fortune with a puzzle-y twist.Read Article >Oct 8, 2024Jay PetersNow you can suffer through old Connections puzzles.The New York Times is adding a Connections archive as a benefit for NYT Games and NYT All-Access subscribers. Its available first for mobile web and desktop and will come to the NYT Games mobile app later this month.Wordle got a playable archive earlier this year.Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeSep 16, 2024Jay PetersWordle is now available in virtual realityWordle now has a native app for Meta Quest so that you can easily play the game in virtual reality. The free app is available for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro.Based on screenshots in a Meta blog post and an NYT video, the game looks like, well, Wordle in VR: youll have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. But if you have wanted to play the game in an app on your Quest, thats now something you can do.Read Article >Aug 8, 2024Jay PetersThe NYTs Connections will now track your winning streak. Or, for me, lack thereof.I already find Connections, which I look forward to every day, incredibly stressful. But now theres the added pressure of keeping up a streak, thanks to the new statistics tracked by the game. I already fret enough about my Wordle streak!This is the pop-up about Connections new stats. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeAug 7, 2024Jay PetersMini glory.The New York Times is launching a hall of fame for the Mini Crossword. 25 solvers will get a spot by submitting scores from August 14th and August 21st, and if you make it into the hall of fame, youll get a personalized mini trophy that the NYT designed in collaboration with Kazuya Washio.Image: The New York TimesAug 2, 2024Andrew WebsterThis online puzzle community has a fresh twist on battle passesImage: Puzzmo / Angie WangEveryone seems to want in on newspaper-style casual gaming. While The New York Times is leading the way with Wordle and its iconic crossword, major companies ranging from Netflix to LinkedIn are trying to carve out a place as well. So, when game designer Zach Gage, cofounder of the Hearst-owned site Puzzmo, started exploring the space, he knew the project needed more than great games. He says the goal was to design a website that isnt just links to games but is in fact a deeper community experience. Thats why Puzzmo launched last year with a handful of titles and multiplayer features like leaderboards.Now both of those aspects are expanding with a new game thats also introducing new ways to play inspired by some of the biggest online shooters around.Read Article >Jun 27, 2024Jay PetersThe New York Times excellent word search game is now in its Games appImage: The New York TimesStrands, The New York Times very good word search game, has been officially added to the NYTs Games app on iOS and Android.For me personally, this is huge. Strands has become my favorite of the NYTs games since it launched in beta in March, but I was annoyed that I had to bounce between the app and a browser to complete my daily Wordle, Connections, and Strands. Now, I can do all of the puzzles right in the app over my morning coffee. Its the little things!Read Article >Jun 27, 2024Allison JohnsonIts no Mr. Bugs Wordy Nugz.The I/O Crossword isnt anywhere near as zany as Wordles original name, but it is awfully cute. Google says it created the crossword with the help of Gemini Advanced and a bunch of its own developer tools. You dont have to be a developer to join in and help solved the puzzle, but it would probably help Im stumped.Google I/O Crossword[crossword.withgoogle.com]Jun 26, 2024Jay PetersYou will never guess Wordles terrible, hilarious original nameMr. Bugs Wordy Nugz. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeWordle is a pretty clever name for the very good word game created by Josh Wardle. But when he was first working on it in 2013, Wardle had another name in mind that isnt quite as catchy.This is true: I was going to call Wordle, Mr. Bugs Wordy Nugz, Wardle revealed as part of a presentation about Wordle at Figmas Config conference on Wednesday. He also showed a slide that spelled out the name in big yellow letters. Had I called the game Mr. Bugs, I like to think it would not have been successful.Read Article >May 8, 2024David PierceI regret to inform you that LinkedIns games are very funPhoto: LinkedInI almost didnt get Pinpoint this morning. Heres what it taught me about B2B sales.Im kidding! But I have to admit something: Ive been going on LinkedIn every day recently, and Im having a great time. Last week, the company announced it was adding three games to its app, both on desktop and mobile, as a naked engagement ploy to get you to open the app every day. I hate to say this, but its working.Read Article >May 1, 2024Ash ParrishLinkedIn is the latest company to get in on gamingPhoto: LinkedInLinkedIn is now in the gaming business. Starting today, users on the LinkedIn mobile app or on desktop can play one of three different games Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb. Youll be able to play each game once per day, and after your daily session, youll get access to all kinds of metrics including your high score and daily streak, different leaderboards, and who in your networks has also played. The games are available here under the LinkedIn News and My Network section on desktop or the My Network tab on mobile.Heres a brief rundown of the three games.Read Article >Apr 10, 2024Amrita KhalidIf youre sick of crosswords, check out the new game coming to Apple News Plus.The Scrabble-esque game Quartiles will arrive with iOS 17.5. Players start with 20 tiles, each with a group of letters, and combine them to form words. The longer the word, the more points you get.A screenshot of the new Quartiles game on Apple News Plus, via Gadget Hacks. Gadget Hacks/AppleMar 8, 2024Jess WeatherbedThe New York Times is targeting Wordle clones with legal takedownsSome developers have already taken down their Wordle clones to avoid a legal battle with The New York Times. Photo by Mike Kemp / In Pictures via Getty ImagesHundreds of games inspired by Wordle, the popular web-based word puzzle, are at risk of being deleted due to copyright takedowns issued by The New York Times. As reported by 404 Media, The New York Times which purchased Wordle back in 2022 has filed several DMCA notices over Wordle clones created by GitHub coders, citing its ownership over the Wordle name and copyrighted gameplay including 5x6 tile layout and gray, yellow, and green color scheme.Two takedown requests were issued in January against unofficial Korean and Bosnian-language versions of the game. Additional requests were filed this week against Wirdle a variant created by dialect group I Hear Dee in 2022 to promote the Shaetlan language and Reactle, an open-source Wordle clone built using React, TypeScript, and Tailwind. It was developed prior to the Times purchase of the game, according to its developer, Chase Wackerfuss.Read Article >