The New York Times buys viral game Wordle to expand its game, puzzle business

The price was not disclosed, but the Times said it paid in the “low-seven figures”.

Wordle gives players six attempts to guess a five-letter mystery word. It was created by Josh Wardle, a software engineer from Brooklyn. Since its debut in October, it has caught fire, with users posting on social media how many guesses it took them to solve the word. According to the Times, the game has millions of daily players. It will initially be free to new and existing players, the Times said, raising concerns that it could eventually go behind a paywall.

Times is focusing on sports to diversify its revenue sources. With Donald Trump’s chaotic presidency, the newspaper has warned that subscriber growth will not continue at the rate it recorded in 2020.

In December, The Times surpassed 1 million subscriptions for its games, which include “Spelling Bee” and crossword puzzles.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.