The New York Times is seeing a major shift in its user base as more visitors are flocking to its platform for games rather than news. Recent data shows that the number of users engaging with the publication’s games has more than doubled the traffic for news content.
The latest addition to the Times’ game offerings is an experimental word game called “Zorse,” where players guess which words form a portmanteau, such as “zebra” and “horse.”
The move solidifies what some industry analysts have suspected: the Times is becoming as much a destination for gaming as for journalism.
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In fact, the New York Times Games app has remained in the top 30 iOS game charts for the past year, even breaking into the top five in March.
The Times has acknowledged that games are a key component of its strategy to attract new users and keep existing subscribers engaged, particularly those less interested in traditional journalism.
Games, along with other offerings, are included in the New York Times’ subscription package, “The Bundle,” which helped the company post a nearly 14% profit growth in the latest quarter, adding approximately 300,000 new subscribers.
THE NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCED IT IS CURRENTLY TESTING AN EXPERIMENTAL NEW GAME, IN A MOVE THAT HAS MANY QUESTIONING HOW THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLICATION’S READERS USE THE PLATFORM.
THE GAME, CALLED ‘ZORSE’ IS A NEW TAKE ON A SIMPLE CHALLENGE OF DEDUCING WHAT WORDS COMPRISE A PORTMANTEAU. THE TITULAR EXAMPLE OF ‘ZORSE’ RESOLVING TO ZEBRA AND HORSE.
THE NEW GAME FURTHER CEMENTS WHAT MANY HAVE SPECULATED THAT THE NEW YORK TIMES IS SLOWLY BECOMING A PURVEYOR OF GAMES JUST AS MUCH AS JOURNALISM. RECENT STATISTICS SHOW THE NUMBER OF USERS COMING TO THE PLATFORM FOR GAMES IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT OF NEWS USERS.
ADDING TO THAT, THE NEW YORK TIMES GAMES APP HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN IN THE TOP 30 I-O-S GAMES CHART FOR THE PAST YEAR, EVEN ENTERING THE TOP 5 BACK IN MARCH.
THE TIMES STATES THAT GAMES ARE A LARGE PART OF AN ONGOING STRATEGY TO KEEP RECURRING USERS COMING BACK TO THE PLATFORM, WHILE ENTICING NEW POTENTIAL SUBSCRIBERS WITHOUT A DEEP INTEREST IN JOURNALISM. IN THE PAST, THE PUBLICATION COMPETED WITH ALL OTHER NEWS OUTLETS… IN 2024, THEY ARE COMPETING WITH EVERY APP ON THE SMARTPHONE, IN A CONSTANT CRUSADE FOR USER ATTENTION.
GAMES, ALONG WITH OTHER PRODUCTS AND NEWS ARE PART OF NEW YORK TIMES’ ‘THE BUNDLE,’ OFFERING. THIS SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE CONTRIBUTED TO A NEARLY 14-PERCENT GROWTH IN PROFIT, ADDING AROUND 300-THOUSAND SUBSCRIBERS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.
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