Wordle Update and Legal Battle with Worldle
On May 7, The New York Times Game division released an update for Wordle, introducing an archive feature that includes over 1,000 past puzzles. This update, available on mobile and desktop platforms, will launch its app version in June. The archive encompasses puzzles from when The New York Times took over the game in January 2022 as well as from its initial release as an independent site in 2021. This feature has been a long-requested addition by Wordle users, who have expressed their excitement on social media.
To access the Wordle archive, users need a subscription to The New York Times Games, priced at $6 per month, or an All-Access New York Times subscription at $25 per month. The daily puzzles, however, remain free to play.
Meanwhile, The New York Times has initiated legal action against the geography-based spinoff Worldle. According to legal filings, The New York Times accuses Worldle of causing consumer confusion to capitalize on the goodwill associated with Wordle. Worldle's creator, Kory McDonald, countered that various games have similar titles, defending his creation by noting the distinct differences in gameplay and theme from Wordle. The New York Times maintains that Worldle's resemblance to Wordle in appearance and impression violates its trademarks and copyrighted gameplay.
The New York Times purchased Wordle from software engineer Josh Wardle in 2022 for a seven-figure sum. Wardle developed and launched the game in October 2021, and it rapidly gained popularity, inspiring various similar games.