The New York Times Bet On ‘Wordle’ To Carry Its Games Section, And Won

When the New York Times first acquired Wordle back in February, not everyone thought the move, reportedly worth a low-seven-figure sum, was the best idea. 

Despite the newspaper pledging to keep the popular word game free to play, thousands of fans downloaded the next 2,000 days of puzzles in fear of a paywall. Since then, many spinoffs have emerged, ranging from a kid-friendly version to Squabble, a ‘Battle Royale Wordle’ that pits you against other players in a race against time. 

While there have been complaints about the game’s move, including the banning of offensive words from gameplay and the introduction of dozens of cookie trackers, it seems that at the end of the day, the Times has come up on top in this gamble. 

In a press release detailing its Q1 2022 results, the publication revealed it saw “tens of millions” of new users visit the site, no doubt in thanks to the draw of Wordle. This led to the company’s best quarter for the number of signups to game subscriptions, with “many” of the fans sticking around to try the other games offered. 

Additionally, following its acquisition of sports publication The Athletic, the Times saw an increase of 387,000 new digital subscribers, with a staggering total of 9.1 million subscribers overall. 

Will this trend continue to bring the newspaper millions of new subscribers each quarter? Or will the hype surrounding Wordle and similar word games simmer down? Only time will tell.

[via Engadget and The New York Times, cover image via Wachiwit | Dreamstime.com]