New York Times shuts down Wordle Archive after transfer of ownership

Wordle’s new owner, The New York Times, has requested to shut down the Wordle Archive website. And now, players all around the world won’t be able to access the past Wordle puzzles as part of the recent move. 

If players open the website now, all they’ll see is text that reads: “Sadly, the New York Times has requested that the Wordle Archive be taken down.” And it’s self-explanatory.

A New York Times spokesperson provided Ars Technica with a statement. “The usage was unauthorized, and we were in touch with them,” the representative said. “We don’t plan to comment beyond that.”

The New York Times acquired Wordle in January for an undisclosed seven-figure price. It’s still not part of The New York Times’ subscription plan for games, but it’s also unclear how it wants to use the game now that it has the rights to do anything it wants with the puzzle game. “We don’t have set plans for the game’s future,” the representative told Ars Technica. “We’re focused on continuing to make Wordle a great daily puzzle.”

Players may still access past Wordle puzzles through other archive websites. They can look for other options such as Crosswordle, Heardle, Quordle, and many more. But with The New York Times now having ownership of the game, it’s possible that these sites could follow in the footsteps of Wordle Archive.