The New York Times has purchased the viral web-based word game Wordle for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.
The acquisition was announced by The New York Times on Monday.
The hit game Wordle has been purchased by the New York Times Company for a price "in the low seven figures," the company said. https://t.co/XZhY6kW3mv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 31, 2022
Created by software engineer Josh Wardle, Wordle, released in October last year, gives its players six tries to guess a five-letter mystery word.
The daily puzzle has taken the internet by storm since its launch, rapidly attracting millions of players, reports the Guardian.
Social media posts about its game of the day are everywhere, along with screenshots of the game’s distinctive grid.
Wardle, who created the game for his partner, who loves puzzles, told the Guardian in January that he felt overwhelmed by the game’s viral success.
Wardle said in a statement on Tuesday that he was “thrilled” that the New York Times “will be the stewards of the game moving forward” and that he admired the newspaper’s “approach to games and the respect with which they treat their players”.
The New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz earlier praised Wordle as a “a great puzzle”, and said: “It doesn’t take long to play, which makes it perfect for our age when people have short attention spans.”
Meanwhile, some avid Wordle players responded to the acquisition news with scepticism, concerned that the newspaper would move the puzzle behind its content paywall.