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From LinkedIn’s Pinpoint to The Atlantic’s daily puzzle suite, platforms are turning bite‑size games into powerful habit loops that pull users back every day. This essay explores why they work, when they don’t, and what product teams can learn from the rise of these “ritual features.”
LinkedIn started as a professional network and has largely stayed true to that positioning since its launch. So when it introduced games last year, it caught many by surprise. With the recent addition of Zip, LinkedIn now offers five daily puzzle games on its platform.
But it’s not alone. Merriam-Webster acquired the Wordle-style game Quordle and expanded its own games portfolio. The Atlantic has launched a suite of daily puzzles. And it seems like every other week, a new puzzle game pops up—and someone in your network is sharing their score.
In this article, I’ll explore the strategy behind this quiet but growing trend: why daily puzzle games are suddenly everywhere, what makes them so effective, and whether they’re always a smart move.
The Wordle Effect: A Modern Puzzle Renaissance
While crosswords and Sudoku have been staples of newspapers and magazines for decades, daily puzzles experienced a renaissance after the viral success of Wordle. Created by Josh Wardle in late 2021, Wordle became a global hit thanks to its simple rules, engaging game play, and shareable post-game summary.
One of Wordle’s key innovations was its daily format—everyone received the same word each day, and the game could be completed in under 15 minutes. This mirrored the appeal of traditional puzzles and helped propel Wordle to acquisition by The New York Times, reigniting interest in bite-sized, digital-first puzzles.
In a 2024 interview with Axios, The New York Times revealed that its puzzles and games were played more than 8 billion times last year[1]. Since then, the NYT has expanded its suite with games like Spelling Bee, Connections, and Tiles, and even launched a games-only subscription—strengthening its non-news revenue. This success has inspired other platforms to experiment with daily puzzle offerings of their own.
NYT Games Portfolio in July 2025[2]
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