The New York Times has announced that they have added the popular game Wordle to its collection of puzzle games which consists of The Crossword, The Mini crossword, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles and Vertex. According to the New York Times, its games were played more than 500 million times in 2021. They also achieved one million subscriptions in December. The publication said “As The Times looks to entertain more solvers with puzzles every day — especially during these anxious times — we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve acquired Wordle, the stimulating and wildly popular daily word game that has become a cultural phenomenon. Wordle, which gives players six tries to guess a five-letter mystery word, will join New York Times Games’s portfolio of original, engaging puzzle games that delight and challenge solvers every day.”

The hit game Wordle has been purchased by the New York Times Company for a price “in the low seven figures,” the company said. https://t.co/XZhY6kW3mv

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 31, 2022

Speaking about New York Times Games, they said “The Times remains focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world. New York Times Games are a key part of that strategy. Our games already provide original, high-quality content and experiences every single day. Wordle will now play a part in that daily experience, giving millions more people around the world another reason to turn to The Times to meet their daily news and life needs.”

Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn who released the game back in October 2021. Since that time, the game has become extremely popular. On November 1, 90 people played the game. Two months later, 300,000 people played it. Now, millions play Wordle.

“If you’re like me, you probably wake up every morning thinking about Wordle, and savoring those precious moments of discovery, surprise and accomplishment. 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 honored to help bring Josh Wardle’s cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead,” said Jonathan Knight, general manager for The New York Times Games. “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.”

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.”