The History of Wordle: From Personal Gift to Global Phenomenon
Wordle went from 90 players to 3 million in two months, then sold to the NYT for seven figures. Here's the full story of the most viral word game ever.
phrazle.co.ukWordle NYT has remained under the ownership of The New York Times since January 2022, with the NYT initially keeping it free and preserving the daily five-letter puzzle. The game creator Josh Wardle made a seven-figure deal in a mid-seven-figure deal, and the NYT later folded Wordle into its Games section and preserving most of the original word list and daily cadence. The NYT also adjusted some words and accessibility rules after takeover, and users can still play once per day for a new puzzle.