The word puzzle gameWordlehas enjoyed an incredible spike in popularity these last few months, with millions of people around the world making it part of their daily routine.Wordlebecame so popular that it even drew the attention ofThe New York Times, who ended up acquiring the rights to the game for an unspecified seven-figure sum. However, it seems that theWordlecraze may be on the decline sinceThe New York Timesacquisition.
A chart shared by Reddit user andWordlefan TheTim shows that interest in the game may very well be dying down. Citing data from WordleStats, the cart shows howWordlepopularity increased from the beginning of January to early February. Indeed, this was the height of theWordlecraze, and it’s also whenWordlecreator Josh Wardle decided tosell the rights to the game toThe New York Times.
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Shortly afterThe New York Times' acquisition ofWordle, the game continued to enjoy increased popularity, only to then experience a decline that appears to still be going on. It should be noted that the data is based on how many people posted their dailyWordleresults to Twitter, so while it’s possible that just as many or even more people are still playing the game daily, it seems less of them are sharing their results online. Sincesharing one’sWordleresultsis such a big reason why the game became a hit in the first place, though, it’s safe to say that a decline in social media posts most likely correlates to a decline in active users.
There could be numerous reasons whyWordle’s popularity has been on the decline sinceThe New York Timesacquisition. It’s possible that it’s just a coincidence andWordlehad already hit the peak of its popularity. It could also have something to do withThe New York Timescensoring someWordlewords. There are also those that thinkWordlebecame more difficult afterThe New York Timesacquisition, and while that has not been proven, if true, it could also be a reason why the game isn’t quite as popular as it once was.
More recently,The New York Timesshut down theWordlearchive, making it so users were unable to go back and play previous puzzles. Understandably, this upset a great deal of theWordlecommunity, especially new players who wanted to play all the puzzles in order. It’s possible that this has also played a role in the game’s decline in popularity, but that’s just speculation at this time.
Even though it seems fewer people are talking aboutWordleon social media than when the game is at its peak, it doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere anytime soon.DailyWordlepuzzleswill continue to be a thing for the foreseeable future, and who knows, maybe it will even make a comeback.
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