Wordle creator describes game’s rise, says NYT sale was “a way to walk away”
Josh Wardle, creator of the game Wordle, arguably holds a world record for the fastest sale of a massive new game the instant it became a worldwide phenomenon.
Hence, his presentation at the 2022 Game Developers Conference has a different flair than the usual "post-mortem" dissection of a finished game. His presentation has plenty to dissect, including the "low seven figures" deal that saw him sell the whole thing to The New York Times at the end of January. But in addition to questions about how Wordle was born, Wardle seems aware of the unspoken question on everyone's mind: Why would you move on just as the game took off?
Answering both of those questions, to some extent, requires appreciating that the Times had been in Wardle's mind well before Wordle joined its family. "The New York Times, in the end, was actually a really good buyer for the game," Wardle says while standing at a GDC podium in modest dress: gray shirt, blue jeans, slightly receding hair pushed back with thick glasses covering his expressive face. "I think they'll be great stewards. Their games play an important part in the origin of Wordle. They treat their players with respect. I don't think they're going to cover the game in ads or anything."
