Browser-based word game Wordle acquired by the New York Times

Not to be shown up by Sony Interactive Entertainment's big acquisition of Bungie today, the charmingly sharable web-based word game Wordle has been quickly snapped up by the New York Times Company.

Unsurprisingly, the news broke in a New York Times article published today. In it, the Times revealed that it has acquired the game Wordle from creator Josh Wardle for a sum "in the low seven figures".

According to the Times, Wordle's player base surged from 300,000 to millions over the course of January, a rapid rise that has already inspired a small legion of clones and knockoffs seeking to make a quick buck off of the game's prominence.

For those curious why the publication would pay such a sum for a free game with no ads, a carefully worded line from the article announcing the deal suggests that its business model is likely to shift in the near future. Specifically, the Times writes that "the company said the game would initially remain free to new and existing players," with "initially" likely being the key word in that statement.