• by Ray Schultz , April 1, 2025

The Boston Globe, the 153-year-old New England daily, is trying a new approach to interactive entertainment by launching Align, a digital word game.   

Created by Brendan Emmett Quigley and Ben Gottlieb, Align is a spelling puzzle that challenges players to rearrange letter tiles within a 5x5 grid, the goal being to “create” a valid word in each row and column.   

"Align is an original game, but it contains elements of other classic puzzles like the crossword or jigsaw,” says Daniel King, director of games at Boston Globe Media. Anyone who is a word game player or a fan of logic puzzles will immediately be able to connect with Align." 

Some observers might say the Globe is following the example of its former owner, the New York Times, which acquired the web-based game Wordle three years ago. Indeed, Quigley has published nearly 200 puzzles in the Times. 

But the Globe, which serves New England and beyond, is following its own lead. 

Globe subscribers will be given exclusive access to an Align puzzle archive and to a daily crossword, including the popular Sunday puzzle in Globe Magazine. 

"We challenge our team to think outside the box to provide our subscribers with digital offerings that are interactive, entertaining, and offer a respite from the usual news cycle," said Michelle Micone, senior vice president of innovation and strategic initiatives at Boston Globe Media.  

Micone adds, "A recent Digital News Report from Reuters showed that 21% of adults in the U.S. who subscribe to news are motivated to do so because of games and puzzles, and based on the increased plays we have seen, we suspect our audience feels similarly.”