4 ms·

I can't prove it, but I am quite sure NYT got a positive ROI on the acquisition of Wordle. They paid in the low single millions of USD, which isn't much for a

by dougb5 3y ago

I can't prove it, but I am quite sure NYT got a positive ROI on the acquisition of Wordle. They paid in the low single millions of USD, which isn't much for a brand as big as Wordle had become by then (2 million+ daily players) and it's been used to drive new digital subscriptions [1]. It's diminished somewhat since then but it has remarkable staying power. I can tell that from the Google Trends data [2] as well as the anecdata that I and so many of my friends and family still play Wordle every day. [1] https://www.afr.com/technology/why-on-earth-did-the-new-york-times-buy-free-puzzle-game-wordle-20220311-p5a411 https://www.afr.com/technology/why-on-earth-did-the-new-york... [2] https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&geo=US&q=wordle&hl=en https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&ge... [Edit: And, nearly two years on, they say they get "millions" of players per day, and they've assigned a dedicated Wordle editor and write articles about the game frequently. (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/17/upshot/wordle-bot-year-in-review.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/17/upshot/wordle-bot-year-in...). They're definitely not having buyer's regret.]

user_7832 3y ago
You can look at the comments section to see how popular it is, oftentimes there are a few hundred comments. That is higher than most NYT news stories (back when I used to use their website).
- slyall 3y ago
  The Website has stats on the number who play each game (and their moves). March 7 - Wordle 992 - 1,748,583 players March 8 - Wordle 993 - 1,749,500 players To get these go to: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/wordle-bot.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/wordle-bot.h... then "Compare and review recent scores" -> Next page -> on on the "Your Recent scores" select "view analysis" against the game number -> Next page Doesn't seem to work with anonymous browser unfortunately.
  - david422 3y ago
    That is ... amazingly consistent.
    - fbdab103 3y ago
      I guess the question is how many people play around on the weekends. I could believe those still playing have a daily ritual when they play a match after logging into work.
jokethrowaway 3y ago
Why would someone playing wordle subscribe to the NYT? Free games on Epic Store don't make me buy games on Epic Store. I just claim the free goodies and buy on Steam.
- yunohn 3y ago
  I and many people I know have bought this: https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/games https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/games

by dougb5 3y ago

user_7832 3y ago

You can look at the comments section to see how popular it is, oftentimes there are a few hundred comments. That is higher than most NYT news stories (back when I used to use their website).

slyall 3y ago
The Website has stats on the number who play each game (and their moves). March 7 - Wordle 992 - 1,748,583 players March 8 - Wordle 993 - 1,749,500 players To get these go to: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/wordle-bot.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/wordle-bot.h... then "Compare and review recent scores" -> Next page -> on on the "Your Recent scores" select "view analysis" against the game number -> Next page Doesn't seem to work with anonymous browser unfortunately.
- david422 3y ago
  That is ... amazingly consistent.
  - fbdab103 3y ago
    I guess the question is how many people play around on the weekends. I could believe those still playing have a daily ritual when they play a match after logging into work.

jokethrowaway 3y ago

Why would someone playing wordle subscribe to the NYT? Free games on Epic Store don't make me buy games on Epic Store. I just claim the free goodies and buy on Steam.

yunohn 3y ago
I and many people I know have bought this: https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/games https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/games