Numbers and letters
The American press group has acquired this online word game created in November for several million dollars. According to the “New York Times”, the platform brings together millions of players every day.
Five letters that represent a seven-digit sum. This Monday evening, the venerable New York Times announced the acquisition of the very young Wordle, an online word game that has become a phenomenon only four months after its launch.
Created by engineer Josh Wardle, the game involves discovering a five-letter word in just six tries. The platform only uploads one word per day. Since the end of the year, millions of players have been struggling every day to succeed in the challenge. A kind of viral Motus, originally developed by Wardle for his girlfriend.
Launched in October, Wordle had only 90 players at the start of November. At the beginning of January, there were more than 300,000 people struggling every day to find the right word to find. According to New York Times, they would now be “millions” to play “daily” in Wordle. Hence the redemption for “a seven-figure sum”, nevertheless less than five million dollars, specifies the press title.
Diary diversification strategy
This new acquisition is part of the diversification of the New York Times, which already offers a game-specific subscription. Featured: crossword puzzles. The service has moreover crossed in December the million subscribers, specifies the press release of the newspaper.
Over the first nine months of 2021, products other than information thus represented 11% of the turnover of the NYT. In addition to games, they also include a paid subscription to cooking recipes (NYT Cooking) or the Audm audio platform, also available by subscription. The acquisition of Wordle is an integral part of this diversification strategy. “This game did what few games have done before it: it captured our collective imagination and brought us closer to each other”, estimates Jonathan Knight, general manager of New York Times Games.
the New York Times nevertheless wanted to reassure the many players who might be worried about buying their favorite game. It was clarified that after its integration, Wordle would remain free for all players, old and new. The press group also assured that its configuration would not be changed. “I have long admired the approach of the Times and the quality of their games, as well as the respect with which they treat players,” says Josh Wardle, quoted in the press release. “Their values match mine,” summarizes Wardle. British resident in New York, Josh Wardle had however decided not to monetize the game with advertising or a subscription, before finally selling it to this historic press title.