Jonathan Knight is being promoted to chief games officer, in recognition of his extraordinary leadership of Games and the expanded role he will play across The New York Times.
Jonathan joined the company in 2020 as general manager of Games, arriving with over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, including leadership roles on major gaming franchises like The Sims, FarmVille and Words with Friends. He came in with an ambition to build on the success of the Crossword, the Mini and Spelling Bee while expanding our portfolio of thoughtful, joyful games - and in the six years since, he has more than delivered.
He led the acquisition of Wordle, inspired a reimagining of the Games app that went on to win Apple's App of the Year Award, and helped drive the launch of beloved hit games like Connections, Strands, Pips and Crossplay. Along the way, he and the Games team have transformed Games into a much bigger growth engine for The Times by building distinctive products and communities that bring millions of people back to play every day.
In making the announcement, executive vice president and chief product officer, Alex Hardiman said:
"Jonathan understands what makes a game genuinely fun, what makes a puzzle feel elegant and satisfying, and how to turn that instinct into an experience people want to return to and share with the people they love. Just as importantly, he's built and led a team that reflects that same spirit - collaborative, curious and always pushing to raise the bar for what Games can be.
In his expanded role, Jonathan will bring his creative leadership to new parts of our product portfolio, collaborating with leaders to identify new games and game-inspired experiences that can grow and deepen daily habits. He will also help identify new opportunities to extend and monetize our NYT Games brand in partnership with teams across the company.
Jonathan's promotion reflects both the tremendous success of Games under his leadership and the exciting opportunities ahead. All of us who have ever texted a friend their Wordle score, agonized over a Connections purple square or found the perfect Strands spangram know how lucky we are to call him our colleague."