The World Of Online Puzzle Games Is Maturing … Here’s How

It didn’t start with Wordle, but that game’s success inspired countless copycats that sought to capitalize on its popularity.

Many of them soon fizzled out, but the best of the best have helped maintain a vibrant landscape in this sector over the past several years. And developers aren’t satisfied with simply offering new variations on crossword puzzles and word searches.

The Puzzmo vision

Zach Gage noticed this glaring market trend and started looking for an opportunity to build on the foundation that was already there.

That involved co-founding a company called Puzzmo that sought to foster connections while offering games that people wanted to play.

At first, there were just a few games available, but the business has grown significantly since then … and he says all of them serve the overarching goal of designing “a website that isn’t just links to games but is in fact a deeper community experience.”

Inspiration to creation

The Puzzmo team is candid about finding their inspiration in other games — some of which have been around for hundreds of years and others only surfaced in the internet era.

But even games like Pile-Up Poker, which is transparently based on the ubiquitous card game, there’s an added emphasis on social connections.

Gage’s interest in games like the shooter game Apex Legends, is evident in the pursuits of hsi company, and he says the so-called “battle passes” that can make such games tedious for players and onerous for developers have to be kept in check.

These constantly changing features are effective at keeping players interested on a daily basis, but Gage says he’s found himself thinking that battle passes are a waste of time in some games.

“That is a feeling that I don’t want anyone to have with any game that I’m making,” he concluded.

Chris Agee August 3rd, 2024

Share this story: