In a matter of months, Wordle has single-handedly demonstrated everything that’s good and bad about our beloved Internet.
Developed by Brooklyn-based software engineer Josh Wardle, the simple, free-to-play game started life as a harmless bit of fun, with dozens of players logging in each day to solve the word-finding puzzle. Fast forward a couple of months and the game has gone viral, attracting over two million players and, inevitably, a long list of developers and entrepreneurs looking to cash-in on Wordle’s success.
Though there is no official app – Wordle resides exclusively at powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle – the Apple App Store has this week been flooded by clones replicating the core functionality of the game, albeit with added monetisation strategies including monthly subscriptions.
Everyone, I’d like to address some tweets I’ve seen suggesting that my new iOS game, “Worgle”, is “a copy” or “stole” Wordle. Nothing could be further from the truth, they’re completely different games. For example in Wordle you guess words, whereas in Worgle, you guess worgs
— mcc (@mcclure111) January 11, 2022
Uninspiring app names include Worgle and Wordle – The App, and the creators have once again drastically misjudged the Internet by openly bragging about their copycat creations.
In what has become a familiar cycle, the online backlash has led to said developers withdrawing rapidly from social media, and in a surprise turn of events, Apple itself appears to have removed a number of clones from its store in accordance to its developer guidelines.
made me think there was an opportunity. I was wrong. There wasn’t. I’ll go back to creating apps based on my completely, evergreen, original ideas and never fuck with anything remotely like this again.
— Zach (@zachshakked) January 12, 2022
Amid the mayhem, Wardle, originally from Wales, has stated he feels “a sense of responsibility for the players” and wants to “keep things running and make sure everything’s working correctly.” Here’s hoping that good work continues.
