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New York Times acquires viral Wordle game for ‘low seven figures’

  • The daily online puzzle will continue to be free and there will be no changes to its gameplay
  • The newspaper is aiming to broaden its digital content in pursuit of the goal of 10 million subscribers by 2025

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The online word game Wordle has gone viral after initially gaining momentum in October. Photo: AFP

The New York Times Co 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.

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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.

Wordle – which was originally released in October by former Reddit software engineer Josh Wardle – will continue to be free and there will be no changes to its gameplay, the NYT said.

“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,” it said.

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