PuzzleNation
PuzzleNation is a mobile puzzle gaming company, operating as a division of Three Across LLC, that develops and distributes freemium crossword, word search, and variety puzzle apps across iOS, Android, Amazon, Facebook, and Steam for casual consumer end-users, monetized through in-app purchases and advertising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNorwalk, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What PuzzleNation does
PuzzleNation, a division of Three Across LLC headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a mobile puzzle gaming company founded in 2011. The company develops and distributes a portfolio of freemium puzzle apps across iOS, Android, Amazon Appstore, Facebook, and soon Steam, targeting general consumers who want daily brain-teasing entertainment on mobile devices. Its core products include Daily POP Crosswords (pop-culture themed), the Penny Dell Crosswords and Penny Dell Jumbo Crosswords series, Penny Dell Classic Word Search (featuring the proprietary TOUCHtoSOLVE™ touch-input system), the aggregator Daily POP Puzzles app, and Wordventures: The Vampire Pirate, a narrative puzzle adventure announced for Steam.
The product portfolio is anchored by a content partnership with Penny Press and Dell Magazines, described as North America's #1 puzzle publisher, which supplies thousands of editorial puzzles. The underlying technology is conventional mobile app engineering: native apps on iOS, Android, and Amazon, a Facebook social gaming integration, social login (Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn), a Squarespace-hosted marketing website, and integration with third-party ad networks (AdMob, Unity Ads, ironSource, Chartboost, Fyber, etc.) plus analytics tooling (Google Analytics, Firebase, AppsFlyer, Unity Analytics). A legacy subscription-based web gaming site was retired in favor of the mobile and social channels.
The business model is product-led freemium: apps are free to download with daily free puzzles, monetized through small in-app purchases of virtual items and puzzle packs, supplemented by third-party advertising. The company has 1–10 employees, no disclosed funding or institutional investors, and operates as a private entity under the Three Across LLC holding structure. Geographic representation in its terms of service is limited to the United States and Canada, even though the apps are distributed globally through the major app stores.
PuzzleNation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PuzzleNation
- Legal name
- Three Across LLC
- Website
- https://puzzlenation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PuzzleNation is a mobile puzzle gaming company, operating as a division of Three Across LLC, that develops and distributes freemium crossword, word search, and variety puzzle apps across iOS, Android, Amazon, Facebook, and Steam for casual consumer end-users, monetized through in-app purchases and advertising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PuzzleNation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Puzzle Games
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail (CRALALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Jigsaw Puzzles Retail (CRALALAJ)
Keywords
Where PuzzleNation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwalk
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PuzzleNation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- In-App Purchases (Virtual Items): Users purchase virtual currency and virtual in-game items through limited licenses within the apps. Virtual items include coins, tokens, points, and in-game collectibles. Purchases are non-refundable and do not constitute ownership of the items outside the platform.
- In-App Puzzle Packs: Additional puzzle content available for purchase within apps, including puzzle packs from Penny Press and Dell Magazines.
- Advertising: Third-party advertising networks serve ads within mobile apps, including Google AdSense, AdMob, InMobi, AdColony, AppLovin, Vungle, Unity Ads, Tapjoy, ironSource, Smaato, Chartboost, and Fyber. Behavioral remarketing is used to deliver targeted advertisements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier with optional in-app purchases |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
PuzzleNation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PuzzleNation develops and distributes free-to-play mobile puzzle apps across iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms, including crosswords, word search, sudoku, fill-ins, jigsaw, and scrambler games. Puzzle content is sourced from Penny Press and Dell Magazines, North America's leading puzzle publishers, and the company monetizes through in-app purchases and in-app advertising under a freemium model.
Product overview
PuzzleNation is a puzzle-based digital games company offering multiple mobile apps across iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms. The product portfolio centers on crossword and word puzzle apps developed in partnership with Penny Press and Dell Magazines, including Daily POP Crosswords (pop-culture themed), Penny Dell Crosswords (classic), Penny Dell Jumbo Crosswords, Penny Dell Classic Word Search, and the comprehensive Daily POP Puzzles app. The company also offers a narrative puzzle adventure game (Wordventures: The Vampire Pirate) for Steam. Most apps feature free daily puzzles with optional in-app purchases for additional content. The offerings are distributed across multiple app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon) and include both standalone apps and multi-volume series.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Daily POP Crosswords A free-to-play mobile crossword puzzle app featuring puzzles sourced from Penny Press and Dell Magazines, targeted at individual consumers who enjoy daily crossword puzzles on iOS and Android devices.
- Penny Dell Crosswords A free-to-play crossword app offering Penny Press and Dell crossword content for individual mobile puzzle enthusiasts across iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms.
- Penny Dell Jumbo Crosswords A mobile crossword app providing jumbo-format crossword puzzles from Penny Press and Dell Magazines for individual puzzle players seeking larger, more challenging grids.
- Penny Dell Jumbo Crosswords 2 A second collection of jumbo-format mobile crossword puzzles from Penny Press and Dell Magazines, targeting individual consumers seeking large crossword puzzles on iOS and Android devices.
- Penny Dell Classic Word Search A free-to-play mobile word search app featuring Penny Press and Dell word search puzzles, designed for individual consumers using iOS and Android devices.
- Daily POP Puzzles A mobile puzzle app combining multiple game types including Mini Crosswords, Classic Crosswords, Word Searches, Fill-Ins, Jigsaw Puzzles, and Scrambler, targeted at consumers who want varied daily puzzle content in one app.
- Wordventures: The Vampire Pirate A mobile word puzzle game with a Vampire Pirate theme, targeted at individual consumers seeking a story-driven word game experience on iOS and Android devices.
- Penny Dell Sudoku A free-to-play mobile sudoku app featuring Penny Press and Dell sudoku puzzles at varying difficulty levels, designed for individual sudoku players on iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices.
Companies that use PuzzleNation
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
PuzzleNation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature5 records
PuzzleNation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Penny PresscorePuzzleNation features puzzles from Penny Press, North America's #1 puzzle publisher. This partnership provides access to thousands of unique, high-quality puzzles across multiple genres including crosswords, word search, and sudoku. Penny Press puzzles are featured in both free daily content and premium puzzle packs within PuzzleNation apps.
- Dell MagazinescorePartnership with Dell Magazines provides PuzzleNation with additional premium puzzle content from the leading puzzle publishing house. This relationship enables PuzzleNation to offer puzzle content seen in traditional newspapers and magazines in a digital format.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PuzzleNation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NYT Games (The New York Times): Operates the NYT Crossword app and the acquired Wordle, directly competing with PuzzleNation's crossword and daily word puzzle apps for the same mobile user base. Both rely on premium editorial puzzle content and freemium mechanics.
- PeopleFun (Wordscapes): Publisher of Wordscapes and other top-grossing mobile word puzzle apps. Competes directly with PuzzleNation's word search and crossword apps for downloads, engagement, and ad/IAP spend on iOS and Android.
- PlaySimple: Mobile-first publisher of crossword, word search, and trivia puzzle apps (e.g., Crossword Jam, Wordscapes competitor titles). Operates the same freemium, ad-supported model with similar puzzle genres.
- Magmic: Independent mobile game publisher with crossword and word puzzle apps in similar freemium categories. Closely matched in scale and business model to PuzzleNation's mobile portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Zynga: Large-scale mobile gaming publisher (Words With Friends, Zynga Poker) with established puzzle and word game portfolio. Competes for the same casual mobile gaming mindshare and ad/UA ecosystem.
- King (Activision Blizzard): Mobile gaming leader behind Candy Crush and various word/puzzle titles. Dominant casual mobile game publisher with vastly larger UA budget and live-ops capabilities than PuzzleNation.
- Amanotes (Piano Tiles, Word Connect): Mobile casual games publisher with significant presence in word puzzle and casual categories. Competes with PuzzleNation for top-of-funnel mobile puzzle users globally.
Others
- Penny Dell Puzzles: Strategic content partner and 'North America's #1 puzzle publisher' that supplies PuzzleNation's core puzzle library. Comparable in puzzle category authority, though operates print/retail rather than digital app distribution.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PuzzleNation social profiles
Digital presencePuzzleNation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PuzzleNation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PuzzleNation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PuzzleNation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PuzzleNation
What does PuzzleNation do?
PuzzleNation develops and distributes free-to-play mobile puzzle apps across iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms, including crosswords, word search, sudoku, fill-ins, jigsaw, and scrambler games. Puzzle content is sourced from Penny Press and Dell Magazines, North America's leading puzzle publishers, and the company monetizes through in-app purchases and in-app advertising under a freemium model.
Is PuzzleNation a public or private company?
PuzzleNation is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PuzzleNation founded?
PuzzleNation was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PuzzleNation based?
PuzzleNation is headquartered in Norwalk, United States, in the North America region.
How does PuzzleNation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. In-App Purchases (Virtual Items) is the primary driver. The others are in-App Puzzle Packs and advertising.
Who are PuzzleNation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NYT Games (The New York Times), PeopleFun (Wordscapes), PlaySimple and Magmic. Broad incumbents are Zynga, King (Activision Blizzard) and Amanotes (Piano Tiles, Word Connect). Penny Dell Puzzles is listed as an others.
Does PuzzleNation have an API?
No public API is recorded for PuzzleNation.
What industry is PuzzleNation in?
PuzzleNation's product category is Mobile Puzzle Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAL, Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail, with a secondary code of CRALALAJ, Jigsaw Puzzles Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.