Wordle: Will I have to buy a New York Times subscription to play the game?

Creator Josh Wardle has sold the beloved game to The New York Times

(AFP via Getty Images)

The world’s most beloved word game, Wordle, has officially moved to The New York Times website after the publication bought it from creator Josh Wardle earlier this month.

Wardle, who sold the puzzle for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, originally made the game for his partner and released it to the public last October. Since then, it draws millions of players every day who try their hand at guessing the word of the day in six tries.

The once-a-day game has always been free to play and does not show any advertisements or require players to sign up for an account or give up any personal data.

But now that the game is owned by the NYT, many people are wondering if Wordle will remain free and simple to play, which are part of the puzzle game’s appeal.

Will Wordle still be free?

Wardle has said that the game will still be free to play for everyone after it moves to the NYT’s website.

He added that he is working with the NYT to ensure players’ wins and streaks “will be preserved”, which means you won’t lose your game history after it moves.

However, after the game moved to the NYT website on Thursday 10 February, some players found their scores had been reset and took to Twitter to complain.

The company said in a statement: “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.”

Some NYT games, such as The Crossword, are behind a paywall. This is part of the company’s business strategy, so only time will tell if Wordle will move behind that paywall too.

Why did Josh Wardle sell Wordle?

Wardle said in a statement posted to his Twitter account that while it has been “incredible” to watch the game grow, it has also been “a little overwhelming”.

He wrote: “Since launching Wordle, I’ve been in awe of the response from everyone that has played. The game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined (which I suppose isn’t that much of a feat given I made the game for an audience of one).

“On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been a little overwhelming. After all, I am just one person, and it is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone.”

The Brooklyn-based engineer previously said that Wordle was inspired by the NYT’s crossword puzzles, which his partner loved to play.

He added in his statement: “If you’ve followed along with the story of Wordle, you’ll know that NYT games play a big part in its origins and so this step feels very natural to me.

“I’ve long admired the NYT’s approach to 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.”