The New York Times Acquires Wordle

thegamer.com:

The New York Times recently announced that Wordle designer Josh Wardle agreed to sell his game to the publication for a price in the "low seven figures." This means that Wordle might just be taking its place alongside a variety of other games offered by the New York Times including Letter Boxed, Tiles, Vertex, and Spelling Bee. The New York Times got started in games by printing crossword puzzles on the back pages of its newspapers from February 15, 1942 onwards.

The move was part of a bid to “increase digital subscriptions to 10 million by 2025.” The New York Times remains “focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world.” The company claims that games are “a key part" of its business strategy.

RELATED: Absurdle Is The Evil Clone of Wordle That Hates Your Guts

Wordle is going to "remain free to new and existing players” for the moment, but the New York Times might just be introducing monetization features in the future. The publication for example requires a subscription for its crossword puzzles. Sudoku on the other hand is free.

Wardle said on Twitter that “it has been incredible to watch a game bring so much joy to so many and I feel so grateful for the personal stories some of you have shared with me — from Wordle uniting distant family members to provoking friendly rivalries to supporting medical recoveries.” Wardle went on to say that “I am extremely pleased to announce that I’ve reached an agreement with The New York Times for them to take over running Wordle going forward.”

The acquisition makes a lot of sense given the circumstances. “If you’ve followed along with the story of Wordle, you’ll know that The New York Times games play