The New York Times has bought the popular online game, Wordle, and now there are suggestions that users will be charged to play in future.
The number one ranked game in Ireland and further afield at the moment became too “overwhelming” to run according to its software engineer Josh Wardle.
The game provides a daily puzzle throwing up a five-letter word that players then have just six chances to guess.
Users can then share their results through rows of coloured bricks which indicate how close their guesses were to the correct word.
Mr. Wardle took to Twitter to announce the sale and thanked users for sharing personal stories about how the game has had an impact in their lives.
He wrote: “Since launching Wordle, I have been in awe of the response of everyone that has played.
“The game has gotten bigger than I ever imagined (which I suppose isn’t that much of a feat given I made the game for an audience of one).
“It has been incredible to watch the game bring so much joy to so many and I feel so grateful for the personal stories some of you have shared with me – from Wordle uniting distant family members, to provoking friendly rivalries, to supporting medical recoveries.
“On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said this hasn’t been overwhelming.
“After all, I am just one person, and it is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone.
“Given this, I am incredibly pleased to announce that I’ve reached an agreement with The New York Times for them to take over running Wordle going forward.”
Despite fears that players could be charged a subscription, the New York Time Company has said “the game will initially remain free to new and existing players”.
