Wordle creator feels ‘relief’ as New York Time buys game | TechTree.com

Wordle creator feels ‘relief’ as New York Time buys game

After the sale the creator of Wordle said, “My biggest sense isn’t joy. It’s relief.”

 

When the game Wordle came out in November 2021 less than a hundred people were playing. Today, a mere two months later, there are over ten million dedicated players.

Josh Wardle, a Brooklyn-based software engineer from England, created the game for his girlfriend, Palak Shah, because she likes playing word games. 

“So we were just playing a lot of word games. And it was like, Can I make a word game that she would enjoy that we would enjoy playing together?” – Josh Wardle

When the game first launched it was costing him $100 a month to keep the game online. 

Not a bad investment considering that the New York Times purchased the game for an undisclosed seven figure sum. 

“That was never the goal, really, to make money. The goal was to make a game that my partner would enjoy playing. What’s interesting is, people ask me all the time about the monetization stuff. Like, ‘You could put ads on it, You could do premium.’ And I don’t know, maybe I’m an idiot. None of that really appeals to me. I think because I started with the intention of not doing it, it’s been easy to say no. If I’d been trying to make a viral game I think it would be very different.”  - Josh Wardle

What makes this game so appealing is that its free, it doesn’t require any app, it can easily be played on any web browser, there are no annoying ads or push notifications, and best of all, it can only be played once a day which leaves you wanting more and prevents you from getting bored or burning out.  

The fact that Wordle has gone viral even though the website it is played on has a long unmemorable name makes it even more remarkable. 

“Everyone has to Google 'wordle' every day because no one can remember what the domain is.” – Josh Wardle

The New York Times wants to use Wordle to boost its online subscriptions. They want to go from about 7.5 million subscribers to 10 million by 2025. Whether that will pan out remains to be seen. 

NYT said that Wordle will be “initially” free to play but they didn’t comment about whether it may cost money to play in the future.

“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.” – statement by the New York Times 


TAGS: Wordle

 
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