New York Times buys Wordle for ‘low seven figures’

A viral sensation is cashing in. The New York Times announced on Monday they have purchased the hit game Wordle. The Times announced the deal was in the “low seven figures.”

Wordle has been a hit thanks to its simplicity and scarcity. You get six guesses to figure out a five-letter word. If you get a letter correct but in the wrong position, it’s highlighted yellow. If you get a letter correct and in the correct position, it’s highlighted green. The time limit is a single day as a new game is released once per day each evening.

The game is only available on a website, which has helped to further build buzz. It’s unique in how it was not immediately turned into an app with a ton of advertising. Now that it’s sold to the Times however, it could turn into something you can only access via a subscription. We’ll see how long it takes before the game is no longer free to play.