Last year, the New York Times purchased the popular word puzzle game, Wordle. GDC first heard from creator Josh Wardle in 2022 about what it was like making the surprise hit. Now, attendees at GDC 2023 will hear from the folks who are carrying on its legacy.
"Wordle: One Year Later" goes behind the scenes of the New York Times' acquisition of Wordle with Zoe Bell, executive producer of New York Times Games. During this session, Zoe will share how the team approached its development philosophy around Wordle: First do no harm, add player value, and buy a game you love and treat it like you built it. As a result, Wordle became one of the rare zeitgeist games to get acquired and then continue to grow, including as a board game.
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This talk will cover the initial acquisition, the transition, and the push to put Wordle on all the New York Times' surfaces—and how a non-subscription game ended up growing the Times' subscription business. It's a great follow-up to last year's popular session, "Wordle: Doing the Opposite of What You're Meant To," where Josh Wardle shared his experiences building and selling his word puzzle game.
It's perfect for anyone interested in game development, particuarly live operations, and is available for All-Access and Core pass holders. Stay tuned for the date and time of the session leading up to GDC 2023.
Join us at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this March 20-24, 2023 to learn the New York Times' perspective on Wordle, its success, and its future. Register for GDC 2023 today!
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 20-24, 2023, and registration is now open! For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC23 hashtag on social media.
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