Connections
Developer(s)The New York Times
Publisher(s)The New York Times
Writer(s)Wyna Liu
Platform(s)Browser, mobile
ReleaseJune 12, 2023
Genre(s)Word game
Mode(s)Single-player

Connections is a 2023 word puzzle developed and published by The New York Times. It was released for PC on June 12, 2023, during its beta phase. It is the second most played game behind Wordle, another word game published by the Times.[1][2][3]

Several figures associated with Only Connect, a British television quiz show, commented on its similarity to the Connecting Wall in the program.[4]

Gameplay

In Connections, the player has four attempts to clear a grid of sixteen squares. They must select four squares at a time that fit under a specific category (e.g., dog, cat, fish, and parrot for the category "Household Pets").[5]

Development

The games department of the Times hosts an annual game jam in which participants suggest ideas for upcoming games to release to the website.[6] Connections had been in development for a year before releasing in its beta phase on June 12, 2023.[1][7] Wyna Liu, editor of the Times and Connections's puzzles, was inspired by cartoonist Robert Leighton, who made puzzles involving wordplay.[8]

Liu penned an essay on how she invented the game, despite every detail being identical to Only Connect: 4 sets of 4 items to arrange in categories, which are colored-coded in the exact same colors as on the show, and which move to the top of the board when a category is solved. Times Games, when pressed by news outlets about the identical details of the game down to the same color-coding scheme, issued a statement saying they are "very confident" they created the game.[9]

On Twitter, Liu and the Times ignored Only Connect host Victoria Coren Mitchell's question if Liu had ever seen her program, despite the post getting 11,000 likes in support of the host calling out the game as a blatant carbon copy of Only Connect's Connecting Wall.[4] [10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Valinsky, Jordan (August 28, 2023). "Move over Wordle, the New York Times might have found its next hit game". CNN Business. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Miller, Chance (August 28, 2023). "'Connections' puzzle game comes to NYT Games app on iPhone and iPad". 9to5Mac. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ Silberling, Amanda (August 28, 2023). "Connections is The New York Times' most played game after Wordle". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Abdul, Geneva (June 15, 2023). "What connects Only Connect and New York Times? Game's similarity puzzles host". The Guardian. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ Morris, Chris (August 15, 2023). "NYT 'Connections', and the company's quest to create the next 'Wordle'". Fast Company. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Amlen, Deb (April 10, 2023). "How We Make Games at The Times". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Webster, Andrew (August 28, 2023). "The New York Times' new word game Connections rolls out on mobile". The Verge. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Jeffrey, Joyann (August 29, 2023). "Connections is the NYT's new Wordle alternative. Here's how to play". Today. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ "The New York Times' Latest Puzzle Seems Awfully Familiar". Kotaku. June 19, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ |url=https://twitter.com/VictoriaCoren/status/1668765486056718339
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