Wrangle over Wordle on Twitter after game is bought by The New York Times.
Wordle is a simple game of guessing the daily 5-letter word in 6 tries. It was programmed by Josh Wardle and started as a prototype all the way back in 2013. It was revitalised during the pandemic and became freely accessible on the internet in October 2021. Since then it became part of 2 million people's daily routine.
In late January, the New York Times bought Wordle at a 'seven figure' price, which has caused concern to its players. The New York Times is a subscription newspaper and while they have stated they would 'initially' keep Wordle free for its players, new and old, it is hard to trust this policy will be permanent as a subscription is needed for other NYT games, such as 'Letter Boxed' and 'The Crossword'.
Twitter's platform has been the main outlet for players to express their distrust over NYT's ownership of Wordle. Users even claiming that the NYT has changed the original word list to make it harder. One user tweeted, 'Whoever is saying the NYT didn't change the Wordle list is 100% lying'. However, this isn't the only opinion expressed on Twitter about Wordle. Many assert that the only reason for the distrust is a pre-established wariness directed at the New York Times and that 'nyt actually made the list easier' (another twitter user).
There isn't much reason for the New York Times to make a game harder with the risk of losing players, therefore it logically makes more sense for NYT to keep the game the same. However, are large corporations ruining the little things in life by swallowing up any independent creations? Or is capitalism overdramatised? If playing the Wordle is part of your daily routine, what do you think?
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here