The game will remain free to play for everyone.

In just a couple of months time, online word game Wordle has become a social media sensation. The simple game, in which you have six chances to correctly guess a five letter word that changes every day, has skyrocketed in popularity and usage thanks to its easy-to-understand design and inherent shareability. Users of social media platforms like Twitter have been regularly posting their results every day, both as a means of competing with one another and maintaining a point of commonality with friends.

Wordle is an entirely independent project created by Josh Wardle and his partner Palak Shah. Or, rather, it was an entirely independent project before today. This morning, The New York Times announced that they had purchased the rights to the word game for a price tag “in the low seven figures.” That’s some major cash for a little game a couple made to entertain themselves.

In a Twitter post, Wardle confessed that while he’s happy with the positive response to the game, fielding its tech support and server maintenance requirements single-handedly has been a bit too much to handle by himself. Since Wardle is a confessed fan of The New York Times, crediting some of their own games with the idea for Wordle, he felt it would be best to hand the reins over to them.

The hit game Wordle has been purchased by the New York Times Company for a price "in the low seven figures," the company said. https://t.co/XZhY6kW3mv

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 31, 2022

Wardle has promised that even once the game migrates over to The New York Times’ site, it will remain completely free to play for everyone. Wardle will also be taking extra steps to ensure that existing users’ win streaks are maintained between platforms.