The New York Times has reportedly purchased the popular game Wordle for an unrevealed seven-figure sum. Created by Josh Wardle, a Reddit engineer, and unveiled in October, the game provides players with six guesses to figure out a five-letter word that changes daily.

Since its launch, the pleasant daily puzzle has now become a hit, alluring thousands and then millions of players. There are numerous social media posts related to the game along with the screenshot of its unique grid.

Wardle, who developed the game for his partner who likes puzzles, is overwhelmed by the game’s immense success. He expressed that the virality of the game endows some responsibility for the players in making sure that the game runs smoothly.

Will Shortz, the Crossword Editor of the New York Times, acclaimed that the game is a great puzzle as it does not take long to play which makes it ideal for the new generation of users who have short attention spans.

According to the General Manager for the New York Times Games Jonathan Knight, the game has been able to capture people’s collective imagination and got everyone together in these unprecedented times.

The rise of a soothing daily brainteaser in the third year of a worldwide pandemic has showcased the joys of being on the internet. It has also prompted a parallel industry of game optimization plans with linguistic experts and mathematicians relying on the best possible first guess.

Reflecting on Wordle, American author Brandon Taylor cited that the game recreates a sense of dearth within the digital space and reminds of the times with slower internet.

Although Wardle stated that he is excited with the game’s acquisition by the New York Times, some Wordle connoisseurs are skeptical about this move. They believe that the newspaper would shift the puzzle under its paywall of content.

However, the newspaper has promised that the game will be free to play for new players and there will be no changes made to its gameplay. This pledge was also echoed by Wardle.

Source credit:

https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/31/wordle-new-york-times-buys