New York Times buys Wordle, says popular game will stay free — for now

The New York Times said on Monday it had acquired Wordle, a website-only word game that has seen a recent burst in popularity, for an undisclosed price in the low seven figures.

The acquisition will help the New York Times broaden its digital content as it tries to reach the goal of 10 million subscribers by 2025.

The once-a-day online game gives a player six chances to figure out the day's secret five-letter word, using the least number of guesses.

Originally released in October by former Reddit software engineer Josh Wardle — Wordle has always been free to play.

In a statement Monday, the Times said, "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."

Wardle also said it would remain free in a statement on Twitter. 

According to some experts, the timing of the game's arrival — during a pandemic — couldn't have been better. 

It lets players "break a negative cognitive thinking state … and distract yourself for a short while with something that can help you enter a more positive state," Patrick Bender, a psychology professor and gaming expert at Denmark's Aalborg University, told CBC News earlier this month. 

Games and puzzles are a key part of NYT's strategy to keep its audience engaged on its apps and websites as more readers use their mobile phones and tablets for their daily dose of news and entertainment.

The company added 135,000 members in its latest third quarter for its games, cooking and product review website Wirecutter.