From Idea to Launch: The Journey of Stumpd
April 15, 2026
Building a game is one thing. Getting people to play it every day is something else entirely. Here is the story of how Stumpd went from a rough prototype to a daily ritual for IPL cricket fans.
Starting small
The first version of Stumpd was bare-bones. A single daily puzzle, a basic tile grid, and a list of IPL player names pulled together over a weekend. There was no hard mode, no challenge feature, no archive — just the core mechanic: guess the name in six tries.
We shared it with a handful of friends and fellow cricket fans to see if the concept worked. The feedback was clear: the core loop was fun, but people wanted more. They wanted to compete, they wanted to track their progress, and they wanted to play missed puzzles.
Adding depth
The first major addition was Hard Mode. We noticed that experienced players were solving the daily puzzle within two or three guesses and wanted something tougher. Hard Mode removes all hints and clues — no colour-coded feedback beyond basic correctness. It immediately became the preferred mode for our most competitive players.
Next came streaks and statistics. Tracking how many days in a row you have solved the puzzle turned out to be a powerful motivator. Players started screenshotting their streaks and sharing them. The simple addition of a counter changed how people felt about the game.
Going social with Challenge Mode
Stumpd started as a solo experience, but cricket is a social sport. Fans watch matches together, argue about teams, and love one-upping each other. Challenge Mode brought that energy into the game.
The concept is simple: create a room, get a code, share it with a friend, and both of you solve the same puzzle. A timer tracks how fast each player finishes. It turned Stumpd from something you play alone at breakfast into something you play against your group chat.
The Archive and leaderboards
One of the most-requested features was the ability to play past puzzles. The daily format is great, but missing a day felt punishing — especially if it broke a streak. The Archive fixed that by opening up a calendar of every past puzzle, playable any time.
Leaderboards added another competitive dimension. Seeing your name ranked against other players — or finding out your friend solved today's puzzle in fewer guesses — keeps the daily engagement high. It is not just about solving the puzzle; it is about solving it better than everyone else.
Lessons learned
Building Stumpd taught us that simplicity is everything. The core mechanic — guess a name in six tries with colour feedback — has not changed since day one. Every feature we added supports that core, not replaces it. Hard mode makes it harder. Challenge mode makes it social. The archive makes it accessible. But the fundamental game is the same.
We also learned that community feedback is invaluable. Many of our best features came from player suggestions. The streak system, the archive, and several quality-of-life improvements all started as messages from players who cared enough to tell us what they wanted.
What comes next
Stumpd is still evolving. We are always experimenting with new ideas — new game modes, better social features, and ways to make the experience even more fun for IPL fans. We are a small team, so we move fast and ship often.
If you have not tried Stumpd yet, play today's puzzle and see what the buzz is about. And if you want to know more about the game itself, check out our guide to what Stumpd is or learn about the inspiration behind it.