Popular language puzzle game Wordle has been bought, not by a big videogame publisher, but by the New York Times.
In its story on the acquisition, the New York Times don’t give an exact figure paid for the game, but rather state that its price was “in the low seven figures”.
That means that creator Josh Wardle walked away with at least a million Dollars. While that’s obviously a lot of money we would have thought it would sell for more considering the insane popularity of the game and the fact that it’s impossible to browse Twitter without seeing it shared.
As for us, the players and consumers, things will remain free… for now. The exact wording in the New York Times article is that Wordle “would initially remain free to new and existing players” which means that some kind of monetisation will be happening in the future.
Wardle has released a statement on Twitter about the buyout revealing that Wordle will move to the New York Times website where players can continue from there, on top of some extra information about why he sold (aside from the money).
“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 writes
“On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said this hasn’t been a little overwhelming. After all, I am just one person, and it is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone.”
Interestingly this isn’t the first time Wardle created something so popular. The software engineer worked at Reddit for a time where, according to his profile, he created The Button. This April Fools’ Day event was one of the most engaging experiments the site ever ran and it all revolved around a split community who either did or did not push a single button.
We’re sure this isn’t the last time we hear of Josh Wardle.
An update on Wordle pic.twitter.com/TmHd0AIRLX
— Josh Wardle (@powerlanguish) January 31, 2022
