(New York) The New York Times announced on Monday the acquisition, for several million dollars, of wordle, an online game that has become a phenomenon in just four months, now played by several million Internet users.
Posted yesterday at 6:25 p.m.
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.
According to New York Times, the game, which launched in October, had just 90 players in early November. At the beginning of January, there were more than 300,000 and, the group specifies, “millions of people today play daily” at wordle, bought for “a seven-figure sum”, less than five million dollars.
The acquisition is part of the diversification of the New York Times, which already offers a specific game subscription, featuring crossword puzzles, a service that reached one million subscribers in December, according to a press release published on Monday.
Over the first nine months of 2021, non-information products accounted for 11% of revenue.
In addition to games, they also include a paid subscription to cooking recipes (NYT Cooking) or the Audm audio platform, also available by subscription.
“This game did what few games have done before it: it captured our collective imagination and brought us a little closer to each other,” said Jonathan Knight, CEO of New York Times Games, quoted in the press release. .
the New York Times indicated that after its integration, wordle would remain free for all players, old and new, and 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,” said Josh Wardle, as quoted in the statement. “Their values match mine. »
Briton residing in New York, Josh Wardle had initially decided not to monetize the game with advertising or a subscription, before selling it to the New York Times.