The increasingly popular word-based guessing gameWordlehas been nothing short of a phenomenon within the gaming world. The simple yet addictive game has amassed a rapidly growing cult following since its debut in October of last year, with its player base reportedly rising to over three millionin the short time between now and release.Wordleplays in browser, providing a unique level of accessibility to both mobile and desktop players alike.
It is no wonder then that this breakneck rise to success and global relevancy eventually drew the attention of potential buyers, namely the New York Times,amidst a growing trend of industry acquisitions. With the New York Times announcing its successful acquisition ofWordletwo days ago, fans of the charming browser game are left in a state of uncertainty and worry concerning how the takeover may affect the core values of their beloved new daily hobby.
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Wordle’s Humble Beginnings
Wordlewas originally created and developed by American software engineer Josh Wardle, who named the now-famous game with a lighthearted pun on his own last name. Initially created as a small project to play among friends and family members of Josh in WhatsApp chats, the growing level to which Josh’s loved ones became infatuated with the game gave an early insight as to how a much larger audience would soon react after adopting the game en masse.
The game itself is simple enough; every twenty-four-hours, a new single five-letter word is generated that every player has six attempts to guess, with any corresponding letters that are in the correct word being highlighted if present - yellow if in the incorrect place and green if in the correct place. With thescientifically determined ‘bestWordlewords’already being identified, it is clear just how strongly people are taking to this gameplay.
With the process of elimination, players aim to guess the target word in as few guesses as possible, being able to boast their achievement to friends via a slick and accessible share feature which is compatible with most mobile messaging services. This centricity on sharing daily results has seenWordlegain mass popularity via social media, which has definitely aided in its meteoric rise.
Why Wordle Fans are Concerned
Wordle still has that charm and perceivable intention that it’s just a fun, simple, and stimulating puzzle game that is meant to be enjoyed in circles of friends and family, away from the vested interest of corporations. It is this honor system-utilizing, community driven, and financially-disinterested nature ofWordlewhich undoubtedly helped thrust it to stardom and acclaim. Unfortunately, fans are now worried that these qualities may be altered with theseven-figure purchase ofWordleby the New York Times.
With a seemingly perfect game being bought by a mass-media company with a track record for subscription services and paywalls,Wordle fans are understandably cautious to celebrate, or even see a silver-lining to, this acquisition. Even if these paywall concerns prove to be unsubstantiated, it is inexorable that the New York Times will be looking to garner a profit from its takeover ofWordle, as any company would. As long as it manages to find a way to provide this source of revenue from the popular game whilst un-mitigating and maintaining its core values of community and accessibility - which have seenWordlebeing a success thus far - then the concerns of gamers will surely subside. However, it remains to be seen how tastefully the New York Times will handle its ownership of the game.
