Sold for seven-figures,The New York Times acquired Wordle
Tomorrow’s Wordle word should be “MONEY”, as it was just announced that The New York Times acquired Wordle for a price that’s “in the low seven figures”. The recently viral word-guessing game has been so popular that your abuela is probably playing it on her iPad.
For those who are unaware, Wordle is a daily word puzzle that allows six guesses to figure out the daily 5-letter word. It’s similar to the Hangman word game but includes colorized tiles that symbolize whether a letter is included, excluded, or in the correct spot. Players can also share their spoiler-free results on social media.
The New York Times acquired Wordle with the goal of improving their digital subscription growth strategy, such as their NYT crossword puzzles and games app. Beyond those who are interested in the company’s news offerings, the New York Times intends to attract more subscribers down the line with this acquisition.
We can already see it. “NYT Wordle of the Day”, it just rolls off the tongue. The original developer behind the game, Josh Wardle, has mentioned in a statement that although Wordle sold to The New York Times, it will still remain free-to-play for the short-term.
“I’ve long admired the NYT’s approach to their games and the respect with which they treat their players,” shared Josh Wardle. “Their values are aligned with mine on these matters and I’m thrilled that they will be stewards of the game moving forward. When the game moves 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.”
Initially creating the game for his partner who’s a fan of word games, Wardle eventually released Wordle to the public in October 2021. The game only had 90 players at the start of November, then that number hit the moon. The New York Times acquired Wordle with a player base of over 300,000 people, and now Wordle sold for seven-figures. That’s quite the bag, Josh. Congrats!