In classic internet-hit fashion, it was sold - this time to the New York Times for an unknown seven-figure sum
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Wordle has become an internet sensation despite breaking many of the traditional digital boundaries. It amassed millions of users in just a few months, in part because the answer grids were shareable on social media. It was unashamedly simple, web-based rather than an app, and with a creator who did not want it to become addictive – even though many craved more than one puzzle a day – or weighed down by ads or data harvesting. Then, in classic internet-hit fashion, it was sold – this time to the New York Times for an unknown seven-figure sum (NYT). Will Wordle be free after Wordle-New York Times deal?
Wordle was created by Reddit engineer Josh Wardle to play with his partner in a locked room. Each day, it reveals only one hidden five-letter word.
Guesses are entered into a grid by the players.
They have the entire day to predict, but only six chances.
However, many doubt the New York Times’ vow to keep the game free to play for the foreseeable future. Susie Dent of Channel 4’s Countdown expects it will be “free and on the web” in the future. However, Nick Bowman, a Texas Tech University assistant professor of creative media industries, told BBC News. “Although the New York Times has pledged that the game will be free, folks worry about what other costs might come up.
Also Read: New York Times buys Wordle from Josh Wardle in seven-figure deal
“If users have to start sharing data to play the game or if they’re required to create usernames and profiles or if the game were to start embedding advertising cookies, I suspect it might lose some of its appeal.”
There is no denying its meteoric rise.
According to Similarweb, the Wordle website had 5,000 monthly views in October and 45 million by the end of January.
According to the digital-intelligence platform, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom accounted for 66% of traffic, with users spending an average of nearly eight minutes on the site – outstanding figures for any gaming transaction.
Prof Bowman, on the other hand, believes it could end up being an expensive white elephant for the New York Times.
It has caught people’s imaginations in part because it has established its own simple environment, which is the polar opposite of the digital world in which many people live.
Its organic and inexorable rise was aided not only by word of mouth, but also by the fact that it requires very little of its users – just five minutes or so per day, with no requirement that they “come back tomorrow,” though many do.
Also Read: Who Is Josh Wardle, Creator of Wordle, Bio, Age, Wife, Why Wordle Was Created? Wardle Net Worth
It quickly outgrew its grids to become a cultural phenomenon, as people knitted the patterns or saw them in common objects.
Its capacity to be shared is also important, prompting everyday conversations among friends and family members who discuss grids and methods. Many of them require a certain level of reasoning – for example, using common vowels or consonants – while others employ spreadsheets to keep track of previously used terms.
But, in the end, there can be no true failures since, as everyone acknowledges, a great amount of chance is involved. As a result, the Wordle world isn’t particularly competitive, however it does allow users to track their progress and performance statistics.
It has had its share of controversy, including a transatlantic spat over the spelling of one word, “favour.”
However, there were some heartwarming stories as well.
Following the purchase, Mr Wardle acknowledged that the New York Times had already played a significant role in Wordle’s storey.
He and his partner had done the newspaper crossword before deciding to create their own game, so it was a good fit, he said. And he was finding it “overwhelming” to handle the website on his own. However, predicting the future of a game that is neither copyrighted nor branded is difficult.
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