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Move over, Bungie: New York Times acquires Wordle

By Tomas Franzese January 31, 2022

Wordle, a popular word-based puzzle game that’s dominated social media feeds in recent months, was acquired by The New York Times Company on January 31. It was the second significant gaming-related acquisition of the day, following Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Destiny developer Bungie.

The New York Times did not share the specific price of the acquisition, but did say in its announcement that it paid creator Josh Wardle an amount “in the low seven figures.” That’s a much smaller figure than Sony’s acquisition, but Wordle likely reaches a lot more people than even Destiny 2 currently does.

The rules for Wordle displayed on its website. — Wordle is simple, engaging, and easy to share on social media. Image used with permission by copyright holder

While The New York Times is primarily a news publication, it has expanded into casual gaming in recent years. “The Times remains focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world,” its article on the deal said. “New York Times Games are a key part of that strategy.”

Wardle claims New York Times Games played a part in the October 2021 creation of Wordle, adding that “this step feels very natural to me.”

It sounds like The New York Times could eventually put Wordle behind a paywall. “The company said the game would initially remain free to new and existing players,” The New York Times article notes, with “initially” being the keyword there. Thankfully, Wardle promises that Wordle will still be free and that wins and streaks will be preserved once the game transitions to The New York Times’ website.

An update on Wordle pic.twitter.com/TmHd0AIRLX
— Josh Wardle (@powerlanguish) January 31, 2022

The New York Times highlights how it wants to grow its digital subscriptions to 10 million by 2025. Locking Wordle behind that subscription would undoubtedly drive some people to subscribe, but The New York Times also risks Wordle losing relevancy and upsetting a happy player base if it does that.

That’s not something we’ll have to worry about for now, as Worlde is still available for free online.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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Wordle’s wild year: New York Times breaks down the phenomenon’s big 2022

Close-up of Wordle up on a smartphone.

If you logged onto Twitter exactly one year ago, you can probably recall the moment you began to see your feed fill up with gray, yellow, and green boxes. Though it launched in 2021 and gained mainstream popularity in December of that year, Wordle became a sudden cultural phenomenon in early 2022 that was inescapable outside of a muted words list. It was a rare gaming success story, one that could reach a broad audience thanks to its elegant simplicity.

Wordle’s fortune would escalate just as quickly as its user base. In late January 2022, the New York Times announced it had acquired the puzzle game from creator Josh Wardle in an undisclosed, low-seven-figure deal -- a left-field move that almost eclipsed Sony’s announcement that it was acquiring Destiny 2 developer Bungie just hours earlier. The move would spark some worry among fans, who feared that a corporate takeover of the most independent game imaginable could steal its soul.

Gaming

CES 2023: Wordle will take to the skies thanks to Delta Air Lines

Someone playing Wordle on an iphone

The New York Times appeared at CES 2023 alongside Delta to confirm that the publication's game lineup is part of the upcoming Delta Exclusives Hub. Delta Air Lines passengers will soon be able to play Wordle, Spelling Bee, and more during flights via the airline's free Wi-Fi.
Currently, those flying on a Delta flight only get free access to iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. Starting on February 1, though, Delta Air Lines plans to offer free Wi-Fi on its flights to Delta SkyMiles members, and lots of content will be accessible from a new landing page called the Delta Exclusives Hub.
When Delta Exclusives Hub launches sometime in spring 2023, its hub will give passengers access to games like Wordle, Spelling Bee, and The Crossword on domestic U.S. flights free-of-charge, whether they are New York Times subscribers or not.
This announcement comes almost a year after The New York Times acquired Wordle at the height of its status as a social media phenomenon. While it's not as trendy as it was a year ago, Wordle still attracts a lot of players and is a major part of The New York Times Games' offerings. In particular, The New York Times seems keen to expand the places people can play Wordle, as they integrated it into their Crossword app in December 2022.
By including Wordle and its other games in the Delta Exclusives Hub, The New York Times Games will get its offerings in front of even more people while also ensuring that players will always have a chance to check out that day's Wordle, even if they're traveling all day.

Gaming

Wordle is now playable on New York Times Crossword app

A person plays 'Wordle' on an iPhone.

The New York Times announced that Wordle is now playable within The New York Times Crossword app on Android and iOS. Players can access the popular word guessing game in the same app as three other games: The Crossword (the app's namesake), The Mini Crossword, and Spelling Bee.

https://twitter.com/NYTGames/status/1562470378483888130