The hit online puzzle Wordle is being turned into a multiplayer board game. The New York Times, which purchased Wordle earlier this year, is partnering with Hasbro to bring Wordle from the digital world to the physical one as Wordle: The Party Game later this year.
Wordle rose to prominence in large part because, at least for a little while, it seemed like literally everyone was sharing their results on Twitter. But actually solving a Wordle puzzle is generally a solitary endeavor. In Wordle: The Party Game, though, Wordle becomes a group activity.
One player thinks of a five-letter word that other players have to try and guess first. Once people have made their guesses, the word-thinker will slide translucent yellow and green tiles over correct letters. You’ll make your guesses with dry-erase markers on small dry-erase boards, so once a round is over, you can just wipe the boards clean and play again.
You can get an idea of how it will all work in this video from Hasbro.
To me, Wordle: The Party Game looks like it might be clunky to play in person. Having to place the tiles over letters after every guess seems like it could get tedious. But I’m sure it’s quite satisfying to guess a word before the rest of your friends sitting around the table do. Isn’t that part of why we were all bragging about our online Wordle results on Twitter anyway?
Wordle: The Party Game will be available in North America in October, and you can preorder it beginning Thursday for $19.99. The game’s website says it will ship on October 1st but cautions that’s an approximate date that’s subject to change.
wazup.