The New York Times purchased the online word game Wordle for a price in the “low seven figures,” and some fans are concerned the game will change.
New York Times CompanyThe New York Times bought the popular online word game Wordle late last month, and some fans immediately began to worry that the free and easy-to-use game would be ruined. On Thursday, the game began redirecting to a Times website. While players could still play Wordle, some noticed that their game statistics, including win streaks and guess distribution, were resetting.
“We are aware of this and are currently investigating,” a New York Times spokesperson told me via email.
The newspaper also tweeted a note to players, saying, “Hi Wordlers! We are aware that your ‘current streak’ has been reset today. Our Games team is currently investigating. Stay tuned for more #Wordle updates.”
Hi Wordlers! We are aware that your “current streak” has been reset today. Our Games team is currently investigating. Stay tuned for more #Wordle updates.
— NYTimes Wordplay (@NYTimesWordplay) February 10, 2022
Fans reacted on social media, with one person writing, “The Times screwed up this simple little pleasure faster than expected.”
The Times screwed up this simple little pleasure faster than expected. #Wordle
— John Heaner (@JohnHeaner) February 10, 2022
Another wrote, “Honestly the NYT killing my Wordle streak is worse than their worst op-eds.”
I tried playing on the new site, and my current streak was reset. But not everyone was having the streak problem. Some CNET staffers played on the new site, and found their streak and other statistics carried over.
We’ve asked the Times to keep us posted about whether the site will be able to restore players’ streaks, or if there’s anything players can do to preserve them, and will report back when we know more. We’ve also got a list of other games similar to Wordle if you need some brain exercise and want to hold off on playing until the site is fixed.
Wordle is the brainchild of software engineer Josh Wardle, who created the game as a gift for his game-loving partner.
