Shubham Sawarkar
Wordle, the popular online word game, has been purchased by The New York Times at an undisclosed price, which will merge the daily word puzzle into The New York Times Games suite of word games, according to creator Josh Wardle.
When Wordle goes to The New York Times’ site, it will “initially remain free to new and existing players,” according to Wardle, who says he’s working with The New York Times to preserve users’ existing achievements and streak data. The New York Times’ announcement, however, left open the possibility that the corporation will opt to put Wordle behind its paywall in the future.
Wardle notes in his announcement of the sale — for an “undisclosed price in the low seven figures,” according to The New York Times — that administering the extremely popular game has “been a little overwhelming,” especially since he’s the only person who actually handles running the entire game.
See also: The New York Times bought ‘The Athletic,’ a sports news website for roughly $550 million
“We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game, and are honored to help bring Josh Wardle’s cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead,” Jonathan Knight, general manager of The New York Times Games, said in the Times’ release. Wordle will join a lineup of other popular daily puzzles at The New York Times, including The New York Times Crossword, the Mini crossword, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles, and Vertex.
