The New York Times acquires Wordle

The New York Times has acquired the online daily word puzzle Wordle for an undisclosed price ‘in the low-seven figures’.

Wordle, which now boasts millions of daily players, joins the portfolio of New York Times Games, which also includes Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed and Vertex.

“If you’re like me, you probably wake up every morning thinking about Wordle, and savouring those precious moments of discovery, surprise and accomplishment,” said Jonathan Knight, general manager for The New York Times Games.

“The game has done what so few games have done: It has captured our collective imagination and brought us all a little closer together. We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game, and are honoured to help bring Josh Wardle’s cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead.

“As part of our portfolio of games, Wordle will have an exciting future with the help of a team of talented engineers, designers, editors and more, furthering the user experience.”

Wordle creator Josh Wardle added: “If you’ve followed along with the story of Wordle, you’ll know that New York Times Games play a big part in its origins, and so this step feels very natural to me.

“I’ve long admired The Times’s approach to the quality of their games and the respect with which they treat their players. Their values are aligned with mine on these matters and I’m thrilled that they will be stewards of the game moving forward.”

At the time it moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no changes will be made to its gameplay.