The most popular word game in the world right now has been bought by The New York Times. Find out more about the fate of Wordle here.

Created by software engineer Josh Wardle, Wordle has shot to popularity as the world’s favourite new daily brain-teaser. The game, which only allows one play per day, challenges players to figure out the 5-letter word of the day within 6 guesses.

Wardle originally created the game to provide some entertainment for his wife during lockdowns. The game is a simple concept, with no hidden underhand data mining tricks or upselling. With Wordle being totally free at the moment, it’s been greeted as a breath of fresh air.

With its rising popularity, Wardle has expressed concerns around the responsibility of the maintenance of a game so well-loved. It comes as little surprise, then, to learn that Wordle has been bought by The New York Times.

The New York Times Buys Wordle

Making the announcement on Monday, The New York Times has stated it has bought Wordle for a sum “in the low seven figures”.

Josh Wardle gave an update on Wordle on Twitter yesterday (31st Jan).

In the announcement from The New York Times, the company claimed the game will “initially remain free to new and existing users.” So, the locking behind a paywall of our favourite word game is feeling rather inevitable.

Jonathon Knight, the general manager for The New York Times Games, said in the Times’ announcement, “We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game, and are honored to help bring Josh Wardle’s cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead.”

With Wardle opting to sell to the NY Times due to their morals lining up, we can hope that the game remains free to play for some time yet. But, if you’ve been enjoying challenging your brain with Wordle recently, I’d keep getting your fix while you can.