Push Admin

Wordle buyout by New York Times draws backlash from fans

Article (news)

Supantha Mukherjee and Tiyashi Datta, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Wordle, the web-based word game is seen played on a mobile phone in this picture illustration taken February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers/Illustration" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/reuters/02/01/wordle-m-a-new-york-times.jpg"/><figcaption>Wordle, the web-based word game is seen played on a mobile phone in this picture illustration taken February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers/Illustration</figcaption></figure></div><div> </div><p>The New York Times Co&#x27;s acquisition of Wordle has created uproar on social media, with fans expressing fears that the popular online word game, which is currently free to play, might be put behind a paywall.</p><p>Announcing on Monday that it had bought Wordle for an undisclosed price in the low seven figures, the Times said the game would &quot;initially&quot; remain free for existing and new players.</p><p>That wording led some social media users to suggest the media company would soon allow only subscribers access.</p><p>&quot;I have never seen Twitter as immediately mad as it is about the NYT Wordle buyout,&quot; one user tweeted. &quot;The NYT took one nice and simple thing that a lot of people really liked, a dumb bit of fun in our exhaustingly dark times, and implied that they&#x27;ll stick it behind a paywall.&quot;</p><p>After creating Wordle to play with his girlfriend Palak Shah, software engineer Josh Wardle released it to the public in October. Within months it became a global phenomenon, with celebrities such as Trevor Noah joining the bandwagon.</p><p>The once-a-day online game gives a player six chances to figure out a five-letter word, using the least number of guesses.</p><p>&quot;I would be lying if I said this hasn&#x27;t been a little overwhelming,&quot; Wardle said on a post on Twitter. &quot;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.&quot;</p><p>The Times said it expects the acquisition to broaden its digital content as it tries to reach the goal of 10 million subscribers by 2025.</p><p>The newspaper was an early adopter of the paywall when it started digital subscription plans back in 2011. That strategy helped it buck the trend of falling print revenues and build a digital business.</p><p>It has also bought into other digital media such as subscription-based audio app Audm and product review website Wirecutter. Last month it agreed to pay $550 million in cash for sports site The Athletic.</p><p>As the Times also seeks to grow paid readers outside its core news content, games and puzzles have become a key part of a strategy to keep its audience engaged on its apps and websites.</p><p>Its Games unit, which has more than one million subscriptions, started with the Daily Crossword, and later launched games such as Spelling Bee, Tiles, Letter Boxed and Vertex. </p><div><strong>(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm, Tiyashi Datta and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D&#x27;Silva and Catherine Evans)</strong></div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/slideshow/01/12/22/gamers-earn-viable-income-from-streaming-amid-pandemic">Gamers earn significant income from streaming amid pandemic</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/02/01/22/new-york-times-buys-wordle">New York Times buys &#x27;Wordle&#x27;</a></li></ul><div> </div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1633427" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The New York Times Co's acquisition of Wordle has created uproar on social media, with fans fearing a paywall for the online word game.

Wordle buyout by New York Times draws backlash from fans

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Business

Wordle buyout by New York Times draws backlash from fans

Supantha Mukherjee and Tiyashi Datta,

Reuters

Published Feb 01, 2022 07:40 PM PHT

|

Updated Feb 01, 2022 09:08 PM PHT

Read More:

Wordle

New York Times

word game

free to play

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.