The New York Times acquires Wordle

In the same vein as the game show Motus, Wordle was bought by the New York Times, a well-known American daily newspaper with a global readership, for an undisclosed seven-figure price.

Created by British engineer Josh Wardle to fight the pandemic with his friend, Wordle now has over five million players. Its success prompted The New York Times to set aside several million dollars to afford an online word game and integrate it into its subscription, highlighting various crossword puzzles (far from the original will of the creator, who did not want to monetize it through advertising or a service). Please note that the game will remain free to new and existing players. There will be no changes to the gameplay.

“ If you’re like me, you probably wake up every morning thinking about Wordle and enjoying those precious moments of discovery, wonder, and satisfaction. The game did what very few games did, which was to capture our collective imagination and bring us a little closer together. We are thrilled to be the new home and proud stewards of this magical game, and we are honored to help bring Josh Wardle’s priceless creation to more players in the coming months,” said Jonathan Knight, Managing Director of The Games The New York Times.

“As part of our gaming portfolio, Wordle has an exciting future with the help of a talented team of engineers, designers, writers and others who will improve the user experience.”

Josh Wardle added: “If you’ve followed Wardle’s story, you know that The New York Times games played a big role in its origins, so this step seems very natural to me. I have long admired The Times’ approach to the quality of its games and the respect it has for its players. Their values ​​are aligned with mine in these matters, and I am very happy that they will be the stewards of the game in the future. “