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'Too good to last': Wordle lovers fear The New York Times will make users pay to play

'How long do you think The New York Times will keep Wordle free to non-subscribers?' a user asked after the game was acquired by the company

The popular word game Wordle has been acquired by The New York Times. Released in October, the game offers players six chances a day to guess a five-letter word. As per reports, the game with more than 2.7 million players was acquired "for an undisclosed price in the low seven figures."

Josh Wardle, a Brooklyn-based software engineer, developed it as a puzzle to play with his partner during the pandemic, but later launched it for the world to play. "I've long admired The Times’s approach to the quality of their games and the respect with which they treat their players. Their values are aligned with mine on these matters and I'm thrilled that they will be stewards of the game moving forward," he said about the acquisition in his statement.

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“What's nice about Wordle is how simple, pleasant, and attractive the computer interface is. It's a great puzzle, and it doesn't take long to play, which makes it perfect for our age when people have short attention spans," said Will Shortz, Editor of the New York Times Crossword.

“If you're like me, you probably wake up every morning thinking about Wordle and savoring those precious moments of discovery, surprise, and accomplishment. The game has done what so few games have done — it has captured our collective imagination and brought us all a little closer together. We could not be more thrilled to become the new home and proud stewards of this magical game and are honored to help bring Mr. Wardle's cherished creation to more solvers in the months ahead," said Jonathan Knight, General Manager for the New York Times Games.

Fans and players of the game were not happy with this development and made sure to let everyone know how they felt. A user tweeted, "NYT buying Wordle is the puzzle equivalent of an out-of-touch politician instantly killing the appeal of a pop culture thing." While another made a sarcastic comment, "As a Wordle player I want the game to be purchased by a mass media organisation so that the simple joy of a one-round-per-day word game, free from ads and tracking, can be obliterated to extract any attainable commercial value."

A user expressed her disappointment saying, "I think part of what I love(d?) so much about Wordle was that it was nice to remember a version of the internet that was not so married to advertising / selling me something / attaching itself to some larger corporate interest. Haha... anyway.... congrats to the Wordle Man." Another quipped, "How long do you think the New York Times will keep Wordle free to non subscribers? I’ll give you 6 guesses." A third one tweeted, "I really hate that companies think that people would still be interested in something if it costs money wordle would NOT be popular at all if it charged people, and charging will quite literally kill off any chance of it staying popular."

One user commented, "RIP, Wordle. We knew it was too good to last, but for one bright moment in these dark times, there was a game that was free & enjoyed by all, without even requiring that users watch an ad." Another expressed his/her sorrow by saying, "Of course wordle may not be free much longer. 2022 just coming for all my sources of joy in year 3 of the pandemic."

When the game moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no changes will be made to its gameplay. Wardle said that he is working with the people at NYT to ensure that the wins and streaks of the players remain preserved.