In February, the live mobile game show HQ Trivia shut down after months of dwindling interest and behind the scenes drama. Then on March 29 with no prior announcement, HQ Trivia returned out of nowhere, bringing back popular host Matt Richards and letting over 100,000 players compete for a $1,000 cash prize by answering trivia questions. HQ Trivia will air again on March 30 at 9pm ET and is seemingly here to stay.
However, there are some slight changes to HQ Trivia. For one, the cash prize is much smaller than it was in the past, and for two, there are new gimmicks to keep people playing the game even after they miss a question. HQ Trivia has added random bonuses that players can get throughout a quiz, which include things like extra lives or coins (which will presumably be used to buy power-ups).
HQ Trivia is also donating money to COVID-19 relief efforts, with every cash prize matched and donated. With more people stuck at home than ever before due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps HQ Trivia will be able to bring back some of its lapsed players who are looking for something to pass the time.
HQ Trivia host Matt Richards also promised that players who cashed out prior to the game show shutting down will get their cash soon. This would likely also convince some lapsed players to return to the game, especially since HQ failing to pay winners was one of the big controversies surrounding the original iteration of the show.
In the meantime, CEO Rus Yusupov has yet to confirm if HQ Words will be returning as well, with its host Anna Roisman. Richards did advise players to keep their push notifications on, so perhaps HQ fans will get another fun surprise sooner rather than later.
HQ Trivia is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.