The New York Times has purchased the popular word game Wordle for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.

The free and simple game was created by software engineer Josh Wardle. It was released last October and now boasts millions of players.

Mr Wardle said the game’s success had been “a little overwhelming”, and that he was “incredibly pleased” to announce the deal with the New York Times.

The newspaper publisher said the game would initially remain free to play.

The game challenges players to find a five-letter word in six guesses.

–BBC