The New York Times (NYT) acquires the popular word-guessing game "Wordle"!

The New York Times (NYT) announced that it has acquired the online word guessing game " Wordle " from its developer, Josh Wardle.

What is Wordle?

Wordle - A daily word game

Wordle is a free-to-play word guessing game.
The game is simple: guess a five-letter word based on clues given by typing the word.
The game was released in October 2021 and is now a worldwide hit, with the number of people playing increasing with each passing day.
According to the NYT, there are now millions of users per day.

There are also many "Wordle" imitators. Some of them have the same name as the original, but are published in app stores and on the Internet as unrelated, unlicensed versions with billing systems and ads, making them a breeding ground for piracy.

Impact of the Acquisition

The New York Times Company

In a press release issued on January 31, NYT stated that the acquisition will not change the format of the game or make it more expensive.
As for how "Wordle" will be developed in the future, the company said that "no concrete plans have been determined at this time.

Given that crossword puzzles are a major source of subscription revenue for the NYT and that many readers are interested in gaming articles, the NYT and Wordle are expected to have a high affinity for each other.

The total acquisition price is in the low seven-figure range. The total acquisition price is in the low seven-figure range, i.e., several million US dollars (several hundred million yen).

Comments from the parties involved

Jonathan Knight, General Manager of The New York Times Games, Inc.

Jonathan Knight commented

We are proud to be the new home of this magical game and proud to manage it. We are honored to help bring Josh Wardle's cherished work to more solvers in the coming months, and Wordle will be a part of our portfolio of games, with a team of talented engineers, designers, editors, and others With their help, we will further enhance the user experience and have an exciting future.

Josh Wardle, the developer of the game, said on Twitter

Josh Wardle commented

Since launching Wordle, I have been in awe of the response from those who have played it. The game has turned out to be bigger than I could have ever imagined (the game was originally developed by Mr. Wordle for his girlfriend, Parak Shah).