Inside the New York Times Big Bet on Gaming

The team of editors at the New York Times that's currently breaking new ground isn't one that you'd expect. Gaming has become such a major surging area for the media company that some staffers believe the organization itself is quickly morphing into "a gaming company that happens to offer news." The brand has long been associated with games through its popular crossword puzzles, but expansion into online gaming plus its acquisition of the hugely popular daily Wordle game has propelled it to another level.

The number of daily users for the app has more than doubled over the past year, and their in-house team of puzzle masters and gaming editors has become one of the most important at the company. The obvious question is whether they can convert any of those gamers to become subscribers. Still the growing focus of the venerable media brand into this new media area will be a shift that other news organizations will likely be watching closely in the coming year.