
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>A board game based on the wildly popular online word game Wordle will be released this fall, Hasbro and the <em>New York Times</em><a href="https://investor.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/hasbro-and-new-york-times-games-are-bringing-wordle-life-new" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> in a joint press release Thursday afternoon, as the <em>Times </em>expands the game’s reach following its splashy January acquisition.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The board game, titled “Wordle: The Party Game,” will come out in October, according to the release.</p>



<p>Gameplay will be similar to the online version: one “host” player will pick a secret five-letter word and other players will have six tries to guess that word, receiving more points based on the number of guesses it takes to get the word right.</p>



<p>Hasbro will pay the <em>Times </em>an undisclosed licensing fee as part of the partnership, Hasbro Gaming&#8217;s Senior Vice President Adam Biehl <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/business/wordle-new-york-times-board-game/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> CNN.</p>



<p>A <em>Times</em> spokesperson declined to comment on the scope of the deal, and Hasbro did not immediately respond to <em>Forbes</em>’ request for comment on the financial details of the deal.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Created by software developer Josh Wardle, Wordle exploded in popularity in late 2021 and early 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/11/wordle-creator-overwhelmed-by-global-success-of-hit-puzzle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surging</a>&nbsp;from 90 daily users in November to 2 million in January. The&nbsp;<em>Times</em>’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytco.com/press/wordle-new-york-times-games/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;its acquisition of Wordle on January 31 for “a price in the low-seven figures.” The&nbsp;<em>Times&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-04/n-y-times-credits-wordle-for-record-growth-of-games-subscribers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">added</a>&nbsp;a record number of digital games subscribers in the first quarter following the Wordle deal, and Wordle brought tens of millions of new users to the&nbsp;<em>Times</em>, Meredith Kopit Levien said in May.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Spotify&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/12/spotify-buys-wordle-music-trivia-spinoff-heardle/?sh=5573a6a57239">announced</a>&nbsp;Tuesday it will buy Heardle, a musical spinoff of Wordle. Spotify said it plans to keep Heardle free to play but will eventually integrate the game into the Spotify app, closely following the&nbsp;<em>Times</em>’ approach to Wordle.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/14/business/wordle-new-york-times-board-game/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Exclusive: Wordle is being turned into a board game</a>&nbsp;(CNN)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/12/spotify-buys-wordle-music-trivia-spinoff-heardle/?sh=5573a6a57239">Spotify Buys Wordle Music Trivia Spinoff Heardle</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Wordle

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

New York Times Expands Wordle Empire With Board Game