Entertainment
Wordle acquired by New York Times amid wild popularity: ‘Thank you all for playing’
Wordle has been taken over by the New York Times in newly-revealed deal (Photo: Rex / LINKEDIN)
Wildly popular game Wordle has been taken over by the New York Times in a newly-revealed deal.
The game, which sees players attempt to guess a five-letter word every day, has been acquired by the New York Times company.
Creator Josh Wardle announced the news in a statement on Twitter, with the company reportedly acquiring Wordle for a price ‘in the low seven figures.’
It was also revealed that the game will ‘initially’ remain free to new and existing players.
Wordle has seen an astronomic rise and has been a run-away success since its launch as an ad-free no-frills website in October.
Announcing the acquisition, engineer Josh took to Twitter to share a statement in which he said that the game had become ‘bigger than I ever imagined’ and that he’d be ‘lying’ if he didn’t say it had been ‘a little overwhelming’.
Wordle has been acquired by the New York Times (Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP/ Getty Images)
Josh Wardle created the game (Photo: LINKEDIN)
The statement read: ‘Since launching Wordle, I’ve been in awe of the response from everyone that has played.
‘The game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined (which I suppose isn’t much of a feat given I made the game for an audience of 1).
‘It has been incredible to watch the game bring so much joy to so many and I feel so grateful for the personal stories some of you have shared with me – from Wordle uniting distant family members, to provoking friendly rivalries, to supporting medical recoveries.
‘On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said this hasn’t been overwhelming.
‘After all, I am just one person, and it is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone.
‘Given this, I am incredibly pleased to announce that I’ve reached an agreement with the New York Times for them to take over running Wordle going forward.
‘When the game moves over to the NYT site, it will be free to play for everyone, and I am working with them to make sure your wins and streaks will be preserved’.
He finished by adding: ‘Thank you for playing and making Wordle an unforgettable experience.’
Many Twitter users were concerned that the game might become hidden behind a paywall.
Wordle has been wildly popular (Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
In one tweet, a social media user said: ‘You’re missing a pretty important word here (initially).’
One iterated the idea that it would now be put behind a paywall: ‘Tje beginning of the end for wordle. It will become under a paywall [sic].’
Another added: ‘Initially? When will it become a payed one? Alarming really [sic].’
Along with the crossword, the Times also owns the Spelling Bee, The Mini Crossword, Letter Boxed and Vertex.
Speaking to the newspaper earlier this month, Josh revealed how he had started the game after he and his partner had got ‘really into’ the Times’ crosswords during the pandemic.
MORE : Wordle Archive lets you replay all the previous puzzles
