Latest News & Updates

Facebook Exclusives for Players

By Jason Allen on May 20, 2020 in Articles, Blog, News, Players

We want the millions of players who love Skillz games to “Like” the Skillz Facebook Page. Starting this week, we are sharing exclusive match-coded events, special offers, and the latest news about Skillz games, prizes and promotions on Facebook. Visit us on Facebook to learn more!

Skillz & Extra Life Team to Support Children’s Miracle Network COVID-19 Impact Fund

By Jason Allen on May 8, 2020 in Articles, Blog, Gaming for Good, News

Skillz and Extra Life are teaming up again this weekend to support the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals COVID-19 Impact Fund and help save vulnerable kids.

Saturday 5/9 at 10am through Sunday, 05/10 at 10pm PDT, Skillz will donate 100% of proceeds from Extra Life branded mobile game tournaments to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® COVID-19 Impact Fund to ensure 170 children’s hospitals across North America have the resources to care for our most vulnerable kids.

Visit games.skillz.com to find your new favorite mobile game. In select games, watch a short Extra Life clip to get a Free Entry. Enter 5 times this weekend to earn a Skillz-branded fidget spinner!

Skillz games featuring Extra Life “G4G COVID Impact Fund” tournaments this weekend include 21 Blitz, Big Run Solitaire, Blackout Blitz, Block Blitz, Bubble Cube 2, Bubble Shooter Arena, Bubble Shooter Tournaments, CandyPrize, Cube Cube, Diamond Strike, Dominoes Gold, Jewel Blitz, Pro Pool – Ultimate 8 Ball, Solitaire Cube, Solitaire Tour, Spider Solitaire Cube, and Strike! Bowling.

Skillz and Extra Life collaborated in April by inviting players around the world to compete with Extra Life’s network of celebrity streamers in Skillz mobile games.

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 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. 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.

Footer: *FREE ENTRY is available in select games only. FREE ENTRY unlock only works once per game, and paid entry is available thereafter. Events may not appear in-app for several hours following game installation. 100% of the net proceeds of this event will be donated. Net proceeds are calculated Entry Fees, less prizes and tournament administration fees. A minimum of 25% of total tournament entry fees collected will be donated. Prizes may vary in select games. Prizes will be ordered within 2 weeks of the event ending. Due to the current global crisis, some prizes may take longer to arrive than usual. Participation prizes may take 8 weeks or longer to receive.

Play From Home – 2 Minute Football

By Isabella Ojeda on May 6, 2020 in Blog, Players

As more people stay indoors, classic offline sports are greatly missed. If you’re looking for fun, fair competition in Football, without breaking the furniture – try 2 Minute Football from 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!

Download 2 Minute Football here!

How Games Spark Productivity & Creativity in the Workplace

By Isabella Ojeda on May 5, 2020 in Articles, Blog, Company Culture, News

Having the opportunity to play games throughout the day is one of the many benefits of working at Skillz. Whether we’re in our offices or working remotely, playing games helps our team remain in touch with our product, stay engaged, and keep our creativity flowing.

Many of us enjoy games both in and out of work. Skillzians engage with our core product on a daily basis, which ensures we understand how to best optimize every aspect of the platform we’re building. Employees are even recognized during our all-hands meetings each week for winning internal employee competitions.

The games we play aren’t just for entertainment or testing purposes, however. Video games have also been shown to improve creativity. As a company transforming the face of digital entertainment, thinking out of the box is a daily routine for us – something that games can help us do better. Gamifying problems and processes have also been shown to help overcome challenges, helping us be more productive. By engaging with games daily, we’re helping our minds build new and unique solutions to any obstacles we encounter.

Collaborative games have also been shown to improve office productivity and cross-functional capabilities. Skillz fosters a company culture that encourages employees to enjoy games together both during and after work. Skillzians often connect by playing video games like “Super Smash Brothers” and “Mario Kart” during lunch breaks, board games at weekly game nights, and an even wider variety of games through platforms like Discord once the workday is over.

Playing games regularly helps us further the core Skillz mission of making gaming better by improving both our teamwork and overall productivity. In the current environment that requires many of us to work remotely, it’s also a powerful tool to help employees stay connected and engaged with both our product and one another.

Play From Home – Coin Craze

By Isabella Ojeda on May 2, 2020 in Blog, Players

As we all spend more time indoors, mobile games have been a great way to stay connected through entertainment. Try the new 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!

Download Coin Craze here!

Play From Home – Wordie

By Isabella Ojeda on April 29, 2020 in Blog, Players

Looking to connect and compete with a real opponent, and put your word skills to the test?! Check out Wordie from FreshGames LLC. Wordie is 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.

Download the game here!

5 Essential Working From Home Tips

By Isabella Ojeda on April 28, 2020 in Blog, Company Culture

During the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a global shift all over the world as people work together remotely. For many, working from home is a new change that has taken some getting used to.

Last week, Skillz hosted a virtual panel discussion regarding best practices for work from home for our management team. Featuring various leaders of distributed teams across the company, the panel was a time for everyone to connect, share advice, and learn best practices of managing individuals during this time.

We’ve gathered some resources below from our panel to help others maintain collaboration, productivity, and balance – all values that Skillz honors at our core.

Tip #1: Try to keep a normal routine and schedule.

Although you may not be commuting to work anymore, it’s important to keep up a morning routine. Starting your day off right with breakfast, exercise, or meditation will allow you to transition into your work day.

It’s helpful to maintain a schedule for you, your children, or any one else in your home. When everyone is together, it can be easy to become distracted or lose sense of time. Keeping a normal schedule will allow you to stay productive, manage your time, and stay balanced.

Tip #2: Utilize your technology and over communicate.

Just because everyone is remote, doesn’t mean you can’t collaborate. Use your technology – whether Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc. – to communicate with your team often. Establish a collaboration process by over communicating your expectations.

Tip #3: Like oxygen masks on a plane, help yourself before helping others.

As a leader it’s important to prepare to be present for your peers, team, direct reports, and yourself – and it’s even more critical in a crisis. Check in on people and ask if they are ok, if they have supplies, if their families are well, etc. It’s important to take time for yourself and prepare your mind to help others during this time. Now more than ever is a time to empathize with the greater world, but don’t forget to prioritize your wellbeing.

Tip #4: Stay focused.

As we live in a world of ongoing distractions, starting and focusing on tasks is becoming harder. Some people prefer meeting-less mornings – organizing their day around “deep work” timeboxes. According to a UC Irvine study, it takes us about 23 mins to get back to the task. Use the Pomodoro method. Here is a cool timer you can use.

Tip #5: Lastly, play Skillz games to keep your mind sharp.

Mobile games are a great source of connection, distraction, engagement, and socialization during these difficult times. In a world of 2.6 billion mobile gamers, the Skillz platform allows you to compete head-to-head, chat with your friends, and connect across the globe. Playing mobile games will help keep your mind active during isolation, and allow for a fun break in your day.

Skillz Ranked Among America’s Top Private Companies on Inc.’s Private Titans of 2020 List

By Isabella Ojeda on April 27, 2020 in Press Release

Inc. Magazine named Skillz to their Private Titans of 2020 list, ranking the leading competitive mobile games platform among the top 1,000 most dynamic and inspiring private companies in the United States. Skillz was listed alongside other prominent private innovators and disruptors, including Airbnb, DoorDash, Epic Games, Snowflake, Unity, and SpaceX.

“Today, staying connected to our friends, families and communities is more important than ever. Skillz is honored to be named to Inc. Magazine’s Private Titans list, and we remain committed to connecting players around the world through fair, fun and meaningful competition,” said Andrew Paradise, Skillz founder and CEO.

Inc. developed the list in partnership with PrivCo., which has developed an extensive database of privately held companies. The Inc. Private Titans list utilizes financial modeling and other methodologies to analyze company performances, generating qualitative insights and investment guidance that determine listings. The 1,000 companies on Inc.’s list were judged on a weighted score based on measures like sales and employee growth, balance sheet strength, valuation, and ability to raise capital.

Inc. Magazine previously named Skillz the #1 fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 5000. For more information on Skillz-enabled games and implementing mobile esports competitions, visit www.skillz.com or email launch@skillz.com.

Press Contact

pr@skillz.com

Play From Home – Big Hearts

By Isabella Ojeda on April 25, 2020 in Blog, Players

Staying indoors has been a great opportunity to complete new puzzles and traditional card games – one of our favorites is Hearts. However, historically Hearts can be slow, long, and difficult. In Big Run Studios new hit game, Big Hearts, the classic card game is reinvented for a fun, competitive experience. 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.

Download Big Hearts here!

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!