The New York Times believes the Wordle trend is still alive. On Monday, the Times announced it will turn the popular mobile word game into a TV game show on NBC.
Savannah Guthrie from the “Today” show will host, with The Times and “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon as production partners. Guthrie and Fallon revealed this on the “Today” show, mentioning that the show had been in development for two-and-a-half years.
The NBC show, debuting next year, is described as “fast-paced” and a “great family game,” differing from the original game which involves careful thought and choices.
This marks The Times’ first collaboration with a TV broadcaster for entertainment, reflecting the company’s strategy to develop a sustainable digital subscription model as print revenue declines.
Wordle originated as an online word puzzle game released in October 2021 by software engineer Josh Wardle. The NYT acquired it in January of the following year, quickly gaining “tens of millions” of new users. Last year, NYT Games reported users played over 11 billion puzzles, up from 8 billion in 2023.
NBC is set to film episodes this summer and is currently seeking contestants.