Further thoughts on the sale of Wordle
My initial reaction of “ugh” when first learning about the sale of Wordle was shortsighted. Josh Wardle made the game for his partner and shared it with the world for free, but it sure as hell isn’t free for him. The server costs related to even a single page JavaScript web application with millions of concurrent users every single day have definitely been adding up. He was offered a large sum of money and took it. I would have done the same thing if I found myself in that position.
I suppose at first I was just saddened by the news of the sale because it could mean changes to the game that ultimately make it less fun but only the future will tell what results the change of hands has. The New York Times already operates popular games like The Crossword and Spelling Bee so Wordle will hopefully be right at home. Sure, it’s too bad that it will eventually be placed behind a paywall, but The Times didn’t buy it as a charity case. It could have easily ended up in worse hands so we should all be happy that it didn’t.
Congratulations Josh! 🥂