Source: Kerry Flynn, Axios
Publishers are playing games with their strategy.
Why it matters: The media industry’s push to create more puzzles and other games comes as companies seek to boost engagement when attention and ad dollars are fleeting.
Driving the news: Last week, three media outlets released games-related announcements.
BuzzFeed launched a redesign for BuzzFeed Arcade, home to Pyramid Scheme, AI generators and other games.
Vulture released an archive of Cinematrix, its daily movie trivia game.
Mashable announced its partnership with Arkadium to offer games like Mahjong and Sodoku.
The big picture: The New York Times has shown what a boon games can be, spurring publishers to take note.
“A lot of these publishers know that their audience is playing games, but they’re playing games someplace else. Why not keep them there?” Arkadium CRO Neal Sinno says.
Daily Mail global affiliate director Paul Tipper says games are major drivers of repeat visits and time spent for the outlet, which partners with Arkadium.
Games serve as an entry point and create habit, says Vulture editor-in-chief Neil Janowitz, while aligning with its readership’s pride for knowledge and the outlet’s “whimsy” nature.
How it works: Some publishers have partnered with game developers. Arkadium requires little investment unless publishers want bespoke games.
Vulture’s 10×10 crossword is powered by Amuse Labs. Vulture began building Cinematrix itself, but later shifted to partnering with Movie Grid. The outlet recently hired its first staffer dedicated to Cinematrix.
BuzzFeed creates many of its own games as it aims to react to pop culture, says publisher Jess Probus. It also offers daily mini games through Lil Snack, a startup backed by Lerer Hippeau and others.
BuzzFeed’s games investment deepened in recent years to grow its owned and operated properties, Probus says, and boost programmatic ad revenue.
Follow the money: Sinno says most Arkadium partnerships are revenue sharing through programmatic ads and micro-transactions. He says users, on average, stay for about 30 minutes.
Revenue also comes from sponsorships. Hulu and Neon have sponsored Cinematrix.
For subscription publications like Vulture, games can attract and retain subscribers.
What’s next: Probus says BuzzFeed aims to inspire more repeat engagement by launching leaderboards and creating tools for users to make games.
Sinno says Arkadium is releasing a redesign next year and growing its network of third-party developers.