On August 27, avid players of The New York Times (NYT)’s Mini Crossword puzzle were shocked to find that the puzzle was inaccessible due to a paywall. This change came with little to no warning.
Since 1942, the NYT has been creating crossword puzzles for their readers to enjoy. “The Mini” is a new take on the traditional crossword format. It exists on a five-by-five grid and only takes a few minutes to play. The NYT’s full-sized daily crossword was already locked behind a paywall, so the Mini was a way for people to enjoy a crossword without a subscription.
Ryan Murphy (II) says, “It is a horrible idea to put the Mini Crossword behind a paywall; its creation was for the sole purpose of being a free-to-play crossword.”
After their acquisition of Wordle in 2022, NYT games, such as Connections and Spelling Bee, have become more and more popular — to the point that one of the subscriptions that the NYT offers only includes access to the games, not to any of the articles that the company is traditionally known for.
Paywalling the Mini signifies a broader shift of well-established media companies relying increasingly on subscriptions. With the rise of the internet and social media, less people are purchasing physical newspapers or news subscriptions. As a result, the NYT and other major journalism platforms have had to diversify their appeal. Hence, this is the end of the free Mini Crossword.