Wordle: Will the word game stay free as New York Times buys it?

metro.co.uk:

We’re not that far into 2022, but online word game Wordle has already become one of the success stories of the year.

The game, which sees players attempt to guess a five-letter word every day, went almost unnoticed when it was released last October – but has gone viral since adding a sharing option, allowing users to reveal how long it took them to guess that day’s word

And now it’s become an even bigger deal, after being bought by the New York Times for ‘a price in the low seven figures’.

All of which is great news for its creator – but many of the game’s fans have been left wondering whether they may now have to pay for their daily fix of Wordle.

Will the game remain free now it’s owned by the publication?

The good news is that Wordle will indeed remain free – at least for the time being.

The New York Times has confirmed that the game will ‘initially’ be free to play – but have given no word on whether they may eventually charge for it.

The publication has several word games available on its website, including its crossword, as well as Spelling Bee – which invites players to make as many words as possible from seven given letters.

Although some of these are free to play others, such as the crossword, are available to subscribers only – while other games only have limited access to free players.

Currently, an annual subscription to New York Times Games costs £3 a month – or £25 a year.

They said in a statement: ‘The Times remains focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world. New York Times Games are a key part of that strategy.’

‘Our games already provide original, high-quality content and experiences every single day.