Wordle is now available in The New York Times Crossword app for both iOS and Android users. The addictive puzzle game joins the two variants of The New York Times Crossword, Spelling Bee and more. Users can also continue playing the game on their desktop and through the mobile website.
The word-guessing game became an immediate phenomenon after it was launched in October 2021. The Times then acquired Wordle from its creator Josh Wardle in January. This decision was not without complaints, as users began to speculate that the game had become more difficult and some of their rats were ruined. Despite complaints after its acquisition, The Times said the game allowed The Times to see a jump in new subscribers at its earnings meeting in May and now says that in July, about 10 percent of players “active” have played more than 145 games. from Wordle.
Apart from addressing the complaints, The Times has been adjusting the game during the year. It introduced the WordleBot in April for Wordle Web players to help analyze each puzzle to better find the best starting word for the game. The company eventually modified the WordleBot to start recommending a new startup word, changing its identity to WordleBot 2.0. As good as it is, WordleBot was only available to specific subscribers. The New York Times recently announced that it will be partnering with Hasbro to release Wordle as a physical board game in October.
Integrating the game into the Crossword app seems like an easy way to keep the game in front of interested players, though some are still wary that eventually Wordle or some of its features could end up with a paywall, requiring a subscription to The Times. The game remains available for free on both the mobile app and the desktop website.