Latest News & Updates

Play From Home – Twenty48 Super Solitaire

By Isabella Ojeda on April 22, 2020 in Blog, Players

As we continue to social distance ourselves, it’s important that we stay connected. Our team has been competing head-to-head in 2048 Super Solitaire by Boston Trudeau Studios. Merge cards of the same value together and acquire the ultimate Twenty48 card! There’s all sorts of bonuses to unlock, dozens of themes to try, and a ton of awesome power ups like Wild Cards and Bomb Cards to play around with.

Check out the game here!

Play From Home – Farm Rivals

By Isabella Ojeda on April 18, 2020 in Uncategorized

To help you make the most of staying home, we at Skillz are continuing to explore the fresh, entertaining mobile games on our platform. Check out Farm Rivals by A Proper Games LLC, a farming-themed block puzzler that’ll get you thinking! Work to place block-shaped pieces onto a huge variety of boards in order to score points by filling rows. Make sure to clear obstacles before harvesting!

Download Farm Rivals here!

Play From Home – Tap N Merge

By Isabella Ojeda on April 15, 2020 in Blog, Game Developers, Players

All of us are spending a lot more time indoors and looking for new entertainment. Try the new Skillz game Tap N Merge by MONSTER PLANET. Tap N Merge is a deceptively simple game with deep and complex strategies for everyone to enjoy! Tap to move and merge the matching blocks in order to score points as quickly as possible. Be careful though – failing to merge the right blocks will generate new ones!

Download the game here!

Skillz & Extra Life Team to Support Children’s Miracle Network

By Isabella Ojeda on April 3, 2020 in Articles, News

Skillz and Extra Life are teaming up to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to aid in the fight against COVID-19 and help kids heal.

Our week-long collaboration, running April 3-9, will invite players from around the world to engage in mobile esports competitions with Extra Life’s network of streamers. Live-streamed tournaments kick off today hosted by video game streaming stars Greenskull, Apocalypto_12 (Tyler), TheOnlyRyann, DataDave, OMGChad, and KungFuFruitCup.

Over 10 million kids are admitted to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals every year, and the funds raised by Skillz and Extra Life will help much-needed treatment and support. To participate, players can visit skillz.com to download games like Cube Cube, Bubble Shooter Arena, and CandyPrize, and view the stream on Twitch.

Extra Life brings together thousands of gamers worldwide to support local children’s hospitals. The organization has raised over $70 million since 2008, helping fund over 32 million treatments each year addressing trauma, diabetes, cancer, and more.

Skillz partners with prominent nonprofits including the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, and the American Red Cross to mobilize its mobile games platform and 30 million registered players worldwide to raise funds for important causes. Last weekend (March 28-29, 2020), Skillz raised nearly $40,000 through its games to help the American Red Cross alleviate critical blood shortages caused by COVID-19.

Gaming for Good with the American Red Cross

By Isabella Ojeda on March 27, 2020 in Gaming for Good, Players

More than 6,000 blood drives and 200,000 blood donations nationwide have been canceled due to the coronavirus, resulting in a critical shortage in blood supplies.

Skillz is teaming with the American Red Cross to ensure a safe and reliable blood supply during the ongoing coronavirus emergency.

Find a game at games.skillz.com and help us support critical relief services from the American Red Cross: equipping and training volunteers to collect vital blood products, and investing in further blood drive campaigns.

Skillz is also asking our registered players to sign up and donate at their nearest American Red Cross Blood Donation Center. Sign up today!

Skillz is transforming the way modern charities and nonprofits engage with its donors, enabling anyone with a mobile device to donate to great causes by playing games.

Play Games. Give Blood. Save Lives.

Open Bubble Shooter Tournaments*, Cube Cube*, Dominoes Gold, Strike! Bowling*, Solitaire Cube, Block Blitz*, Solitaire Tour, Bubble Shooter Arena*, 21 Blitz, Spider Solitaire Cube, Pro Pool – Ultimate 8 Ball*, Bubble Shooter League*, Jewel Blitz*, Diamond Strike*, Bubble Cube 2*, Blackout Blitz, or Big Run Solitaire.
In select games, watch a short video to unlock your FREE ENTRY.*
Enter the “Red Cross COVID19 G4G” event.
You can enter in as many of the listed games as you wish.

Skillz, Inc. is hosting charitable tournaments on the Skillz Platform March 28 – 29, 2020 to benefit the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross will receive at least 25% of all entry fees for these designated tournaments.

The American Red Cross name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by The American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org.

Skillz Partners with the American Red Cross to Help Alleviate Blood Shortages Due to Coronavirus

By Isabella Ojeda on March 27, 2020 in News, Press Release

Play Games. Give Blood. Save Lives.

Skillz, the leading mobile games platform that connects players around the world in fair, fun, and meaningful competition, today announced a new fundraising initiative with the American Red Cross. Through proceeds from mobile esports tournaments, Skillz will help the American Red Cross ensure hospital shelves are stocked with lifesaving blood for patients in need during the coronavirus emergency.

“Due to the coronavirus outbreak, blood drives continue to be cancelled at an alarming rate — about 8,000 so far — but we continue to urge blood drive hosts to maintain scheduled blood drives whenever possible,” said Jennifer Adrio, Executive Officer for the Northern California Coastal Region at the American Red Cross. “Proceeds from Skillz will help the Red Cross continue to deliver its lifesaving mission nationwide due to this public health emergency.”

Skillz is transforming the way modern charities and nonprofits engage with donors, enabling anyone with a mobile device to donate to great causes by playing games. The company previously partnered with the American Red Cross to support the families and communities affected by the 2019 California wildfires, raising over $41,000 in one tournament.

“During this pandemic, it’s important that we do our part by rallying the Skillz community to aid our healthcare systems and the professionals on the front lines,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz. “Our partnership with the American Red Cross will help make sure they have the tools and funds to serve communities in need during this crisis.”

Skillz players will be able to contribute by entering Skillz mobile tournaments Saturday March 28 through Sunday, March 29. 100% of tournament proceeds will go towards ensuring continued delivery of the vital American Red Cross mission nationwide.

Skillz will additionally encourage its 30 million registered players to pledge and donate at their nearest American Red Cross Blood Donation Center.

Players can find a game and participate at games.skillz.com. After logging in, look for the “Red Cross COVID19 G4G” event.*

The Red Cross supplies nearly 40% of the nation’s blood supply. Blood donation is essential to ensuring community health, and shortages could impact patients who need surgery, victims of car accidents, cancer patients and other emergencies. Donating blood is still a safe process, and people should not hesitate to give blood in order to help patients. For more information on the Red Cross or how to donate blood, please visit redcrossblood.org.

Skillz is harnessing the power of its platform to support a range of important causes, and has worked with a range of organizations including the American Cancer Society and The World Wildlife Fund, in addition to the American Red Cross. Last year, Skillz hosted the largest charity tournament in mobile esports history by partnering with Susan G. Komen, and raising more than $120,000 from more than 25,000 participating mobile game competitors in just 10 days of tournaments.

*New events may take up to one hour to show up after installing the game.

About Skillz Inc.

Skillz is the leading mobile games platform that connects players around the world in fair, fun and meaningful competition. The Skillz marketplace helps developers build multi-million dollar franchises by enabling social competition in their games. Leveraging its patented technology, Skillz hosts billions of casual esports tournaments for 30 million mobile players worldwide and distributes over $60 million in prizes each month. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by leading venture capitalists, media companies, and professional sports leagues and franchises. Skillz has earned recognition as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups, and the #1 fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 5000.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Press Contact

pr@skillz.com

Play from Home! – A Roundup of Fresh Skillz Games

By Isabella Ojeda on March 26, 2020 in Blog, Game Developers, Guides, Players

Over the next few weeks, many of us may be spending more time indoors than originally planned. Here at Skillz, we’ve moved to a distributed workforce in a thoughtful manner, equipping our employees with the tools and support needed to continue their work seamlessly.

However, this also means more time to explore awesome new games after work hours! We’ve included a list of some games that you might like to try out:

1. Big Hearts by Big Run Studios
Play three short rounds of Hearts with easy-to-learn tap and swipe controls, earning higher scores the faster you go! This game features beautiful graphics with lots of fun and fast gameplay.

2. CandyPrize by funkitron
Swipe and string together colorful pieces of candy in order to score points! You’ll have to think fast – you only have five minutes to put together the right moves and combinations. If you win with moves left over, you’ll get some sweet bonus points to add to your total.

3. Twenty48 Solitaire by Boston Trudeau Studios
Merge cards of the same value together and acquire the ultimate Twenty48 card! There’s all sorts of bonuses to unlock, dozens of themes to try, and a ton of awesome power ups like Wild Cards and Bomb Cards to play around with.

4. Bubble Cube 2 by Tether Studios

A fast and fun bubble shooter – match the colors and pop the bubbles to clear the board! A polished puzzle game that’s easy to pick up and enjoy, with smooth controls designed for competitive play.

5. Tap N Merge Tournament by MONSTER PLANET
A deceptively simple game with deep and complex strategies that everyone can enjoy! Tap to move and merge the matching blocks in order to score points as quickly as possible. Be careful though – failing to merge the right blocks will generate new ones!

6. Wordie by FreshGames
A thrilling word game featuring action-packed, three-minute rounds. Score awesome streaks by stringing together the words on each board. Use bonus multiplier tiles to your advantage and activate streak modes for even bigger bonuses.

7. Coin Craze by Human Soft
Match colorful potions to earn coins! Coins can be used to get more points, or even to increase the value of future coins. Utilize strategic bonuses like lightning and cascades at the right time to score some serious points!

8. Dragon Blast Tournament by Sharkbite Games Explore gorgeous 3D environments while solving colorful puzzles along the way! Cool characters and special effects await, along with fluid gameplay that’ll keep you coming back for more.

9. Farm Rivals by A Proper Job Games
A farming-themed block puzzler that’ll get you thinking! Work to place block-shaped pieces onto a huge variety of boards in order to score points by filling rows. Make sure to clear obstacles before harvesting!

10. 2 Minute Football by RMW Media Integration

Play as a star quarterback and score as many touchdowns as possible in two minutes. Consecutive completions and faster times will get you better scores!

To discover even more Skillz-enabled games, check out games.skillz.com!

Skillz Update on COVID-19

By Andrew Paradise on March 23, 2020 in Blog, News

We at Skillz share your concerns about COVID-19 and the impact it is having on so many of us and our communities.

During these challenging times, we wanted to take a moment to reassure Skillz players, developers, and partners that we are working continuously to ensure a great experience for everyone on our platform. While COVID-19 has disrupted many lives and businesses, we want you to know that all games, tournaments, and transactions on the Skillz platform will continue to operate as normal.

Skillz has moved to a distributed workforce in a thoughtful manner, equipping our employees with the tools and support to continue their work seamlessly. Our business continuity plans ensure our players, developers, and partners will continue to receive the same great gameplay, stability, and customer support you have come to expect from Skillz while we provide for the safety of our employees.

In times like these, staying connected to our friends, families and communities is more important than ever. Skillz remains committed to connecting players around the world through fair, fun and meaningful competition.

We wish you the best. Stay safe and healthy.

Best,

Andrew Paradise

CEO & Founder, Skillz

Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women @ Skillz

By Isabella Ojeda on March 20, 2020 in Blog, Company Culture

We spoke with some of the incredible women at Skillz who are building on our vision of esports for everyone – proven entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders who envision a world where everyone plays games. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we learn from a few of our fearless leaders:

Hailey Parish-Lapriore, HR Business Partner

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

Everyone has a story, but you are the only author of your life.

What advice would you give to women interested in joining tech and gaming?

I made the mistake of thinking that tech – and gaming specifically – was a space where I wouldn’t belong. I was wrong! Being an athlete my whole life, I’ve always valued fair play and healthy competition. I love that working in esports has shown me a new way to get in touch with my inner athlete. The psychology behind losing – i.e. that idea in your head that says ‘I’m not good enough at this, I should just quit’ – is totally disrupted when you’re put in a Skillz race against an opponent at your level. You remember to embrace your inner champion and GO FOR IT. So, my advice is exactly that: go for it!

Who is your role model?

Gwen Stefani has been my ‘she-ro’ since I was 9 years old!

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Public speaking is one of my greatest fears. At the end of those experiences, I’m always proud of myself for giving it my best effort. I feel most accomplished when I know that I’m afraid to fail but show up anyway.

What is your favorite part about working at Skillz?

The people! I know that I can lean on anyone at Skillz for help – with any problem or question – all because we have a shared understanding that we are more successful collectively than we could ever be individually.

Cate Margeson, Fraud Manager

What advice would you give to women interested in joining tech and gaming?

Bring your authentic self to work – sometimes it can be easier to fit yourself into whatever the existing culture is, but bringing your perspective and your experiences will not only make your life more enjoyable, but also improve the health of the business.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

My time at Skillz has been incredibly rewarding. Helping to build out the Trust & Safety team from just me to now 16 people has been my proudest accomplishment. It’s been so cool helping folks grow in their careers!

What is your favorite part about working at Skillz?

The intelligent & passionate people. I recently moved to Vegas to help open our office here and I’m so excited to find more people who can help us build the future of the company!

Arlene Enero, Engineering Manager in Player Experience

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

It’s important to have mentors inside and outside your company.

What advice would you give to women interested in joining tech and gaming?

Talent is not defined by gender or sexual orientation. It’s not defined by ethnicity, age, or cultural background. We all have power over our careers. We have the power to choose the right role and company for us. We should be empowered to aim high. Know your short and long term goals, and build your career roadmap! Knowing early in your career where you want to go (e.g. leadership track vs technical/architect track) gives you more time to actually build and improve the skills necessary to get there.

What is your favorite part about working at Skillz?

The people are smart, driven, and passionate about what we’re building. They are also always willing to step up, wear many hats, and help each other – and I truly appreciate that.

Jessica Hardie, Senior Manager in Customer Support

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you are not.

What advice would you give to women interested in joining tech and gaming?

Your experience is applicable and valuable! A linkedin study showed women are 14% less likely to apply for a job without meeting 100% of the experience requirements. Apply anyway! Take a chance on yourself. Also check out your local Women in Tech chapter and come to a happy hour. Get a sense of the opportunities in your area by talking to the women already making waves in it.

Who is your role model?

My grandmothers. I’ve been very lucky to have had their bluntly honest guidance.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

I had the opportunity to move from California to Oregon to open a new office, and building its culture from the ground up was an amazing experience.

What is your favorite part about working at Skillz?

Hands down, the people and the culture. It’s a welcoming, inclusive environment full of driven individuals that never hesitate to help you grow. I’ve learned so much from people genuinely excited about what they work on, and happy to help you achieve your own goals. We’re fast-paced and push each other to realize our potential, but refreshingly not competitive with each other. Instead we work as a team towards a collective goal (unless we’re talking about staff gaming tournaments, that’s a whole different story!). I’ve been in the gaming industry about 12 years now, and Skillz really breaks the mold with the culture we’ve been able to foster.

Skillz is hiring at www.skillz.com/careers!

Gamasome Interactive Takes Flight: The Development of “Sky Piper – Tournament”

By Isabella Ojeda on March 18, 2020 in Blog, Game Developers, Partners

By Mansoor Pathiyanthara, Founder of Gamasome Interactive LLP

High Aspirations

“Sky Piper – Tournament” was a concept we created during an informal game jam on an ordinary weekend. Inspired by sci-fi favorites like “Star Wars” and “Star Fox,” our studio envisioned a game with simple but unique flight gameplay. As we continued to experiment, “Sky Piper – Tournament” quickly became a testbed for trying out all sorts of interesting and wacky ideas, both in art style and game mechanics. As we grew more invested in the development process, we transitioned the weekend project into a serious endeavour.

There were a few key elements we wanted to focus on during development. First and foremost was flight control – we wanted our game to deliver a truly ‘sci-fi’ vibe to our players. One of my favorite aspects of the game is how the ships handle and maneuver. Once players begin to steer quickly, they gain the ability to barrel roll in order to avoid obstacles. It’s incredibly satisfying to dodge obstacles and experience near-misses while navigating through increasingly challenging levels.

We also put a lot of care into the artwork and music assets, which are major focuses of our game and part of the key experience. Our objective was to have our game deliver a feeling of wonder to our players through a variety of color combinations, emissions, and lighting. The game also features a great soundtrack created by our very own in-house composer.

Skillz and the Future

We originally planned to convert the game into a real-time multiplayer tournament, but dropped the idea due to the costs and effort required to maintain the servers. However, I eventually learned about Skillz through last year’s IGDC (Indian Game Developer Conference). An organizer, impressed with the game we had on our hands, told me about Skillz and suggested I give it a shot.

After just a few days of research and playing a lot of Skillz games, I was sold on the platform. Games powered by Skillz deliver a fun, multiplayer experience that allows players to compete for rewards – something that I wanted to deliver to my own players.

Thankfully, “Sky Piper – Tournament” was designed initially as a competitive title, so the conversion process into an esport was seamless. Skillz fit perfectly within our game design philosophies. The only real challenge we faced was synchronizing level data in order to maintain fair play, but we were thrilled to discover that Skillz already provides the technology to ensure fun and fair competition.

Although “Sky Piper – Tournament” was the first official title released under our little studio, we’re quite happy with how it turned out. The things we learned along the way will serve as a powerful foundation for our future games. Working with Skillz was also a wonderful experience, and we’re planning to create a team dedicated to developing more Skillz-powered games throughout 2020 and beyond.