The archive · Consumer Apps · Product decision · 2020–2022
Wordle: a solo web game's viral bet, sold to The New York Times
Josh Wardle's free one-puzzle-a-day web game spread through emoji score grids, drew tens of millions of players, and sold to The New York Times.
Wordle
What the business is
Wordle is a daily browser word game in which players get six guesses to find a five-letter word, with color feedback on each guess; Josh Wardle ran it free with one puzzle a day for every player.
How it started
Josh Wardle created Wordle during the pandemic as a gift for his partner, Palak Shah, after the pair became hooked on word games such as Spelling Bee and crosswords; it was publicly released in late 2020 (The Verge).
What happened
Wordle grew by word of mouth through the emoji grids players posted after each solve. By January 2022 it was a global phenomenon, clone apps raced into app stores, and Apple banned the knockoffs (The Verge). On 2022-01-31 Wardle announced The New York Times had acquired the game for an undisclosed low-seven-figure price and that it would initially remain free, while Wardle — the only person running it — worked to preserve players' stats and streaks.
How it ended up
In its Q1 2022 earnings, reported on 2022-05-04, The New York Times credited Wordle with bringing tens of millions of new users, its best gaming-related quarter ever and 387,000 net new digital-only subscribers. Google's 2022 Year in Search ranked Wordle the most-searched query of the year in the US and worldwide (CNET, 2022-12-07).
Background
Josh Wardle built Wordle during the pandemic as a gift for his partner, Palak Shah, after the pair became hooked on word games; the free browser game, publicly released in late 2020, offers one puzzle a day with six guesses and color feedback (The Verge).
Wordle spread through the emoji grids players posted after solving — sharing a result without spoiling the answer. By January 2022 it was a global phenomenon: clone apps flooded app stores, Apple banned them, and on 2022-01-31 Wardle announced The New York Times had bought the game for an undisclosed low-seven-figure price (The Verge).
The acquisition paid off for the buyer: in Q1 2022 earnings The Times said Wordle brought tens of millions of new users, drove its best gaming-related quarter ever and helped add 387,000 net digital-only subscribers (The Verge). Google's 2022 Year in Search ranked Wordle the most-searched query of the year in the US and globally (CNET).
What has to be true
- One puzzle a day for everyone made the game scarce and simultaneous, so scores were comparable the moment they were posted.
- The emoji grid engineered the share: players could broadcast their result without spoiling the answer, making every solve an ad.
- Free, ad-free and browser-only, with no account and no install, Wordle removed every barrier between curiosity and play.
- The Times' payoff proved the audience was real: tens of millions of new users and 387,000 net digital subscribers within a quarter.
What can be applied
A product can be free and scarce at once: one daily puzzle for everyone created a shared ritual, and letting players broadcast their score without the answer turned every solve into an ad.
Aftermath
On 2022-01-31 Wardle announced The New York Times had bought Wordle for an undisclosed low seven figures, and the game joined its daily Games suite while initially remaining free. In Q1 2022 earnings, reported 2022-05-04, CEO Meredith Kopit Levien credited Wordle with bringing tens of millions of new users, the Times' best gaming-related quarter ever and 387,000 net new digital-only subscribers, with Wordle still free at that date. Google's 2022 Year in Search ranked Wordle the most-searched query of the year in the US and globally.
Sources
- Wordle has been bought by The New York Times, will 'initially' remain free for everyone to play
- Buying Wordle brought 'tens of millions of new users' to The New York Times
- Wordle, Elections Dominated Google Searches in 2022
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