SpellTower dev strikes a deal with the dictionary

Game developer Zach Gage (Really Bad Chess, Sage Solitaire) has announced a partnership with Merriam-Webster, a reference book publishing company best known for its Merriam-Webster dictionaries.

It's rare to see a game dev make a show of teaming up with a dictionary, and especially notable in light of Gage's success with his 2012 word-based puzzler SpellTower. Funnily enough, Gage told Gamasutra at the time that he started making the game because he "really hated word games."

"I'm trying to change the way I'm developing games," he said back in 2011. "Making a game in a genre you hate is actually one of the most interesting experiences ever."

Now, Gage is planning to release a revamped version of SpellTower next Thursday with (among other things) support for the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and he's also released a "bite-sized" version of the game that's playable in a browser.

Also, Gage says that he's working with the folks at Merriam-Webster on a new word game, though the nature of their working relationship or the game itself is yet unclear.