The relevance is that the NYT has a sordid history of user hostile actions, and this is just the latest in a long line of them. In other words, the relevance is in highlighting that this is kind of conduct is part of a pattern, not an aberration. This is relevant, as it helps situate the action.
Wake up Sheeple!
It's likely that Wordle will become part of such a dark pattern in the near future.
As stated in the article: The newspaper intends to increase its subscriber count to 10 million by 2025, and its focus on word games is part of its strategy.
It's outrage culture. The people who don't like a thing use their dislike as a wildcard, making it relevant to every discussion involving that thing.
I for one am outraged, what are we mad at now? Honestly I don’t mind NYT, I ended up getting a sub to their Games and it’s fun enough and better for my sanity then doom scrolling. Also I cancelled auto renew immediately, easy peasy.