Tech Bro Creates Wordle App To Cash In On Craze, But Players Are Not Having It

January 13th, 2022 - 11:28 AM EST by Adam Downer

Contact Newsroom

Wordle thief guesses.

Developer Zack Shakked is under fire for cashing in on the Wordle craze for attempting to make a Wordle app, which, in addition to simply using the name "Wordle," offers a slightly expanded version of the game that users can pay premium prices to unlock (say, $30 a year for unlimited games) and get flooded with mobile ads.

One of the pleasant stories of the new year has been Josh Wardle's simple word game that has taken Twitter by storm. Initially created by Wardle for his partner, the game has recently caused Twitter to be filled with yellow and green grids as players share their success with the puzzles. Wardle appears to have taken the attitude that the game is a public good, as it is demonetized and ad-free.

"I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun," Wardle told the New York Times. "It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun."

Shakked, however, saw Wordle's generosity as an opportunity to make money.


Wordle fans were quickly on Shakked's case about copying Wardle's game, and at first, he seemed to gloat about how the "Wordle" idea was essentially public domain. For example, he responded to a critic with a link to an episode of Lingo, a television game show that essentially was Wordle in the pre-internet era, as if to imply that Wardle's idea was unoriginal and thus ripe for the taking. He also openly bragged that Wordle wasn't "trademarked" and argued that that allowed him to go through with his app.


Many Twitter users pointed to a seven-month-old tweet by Shakked in which he bemoaned how "shameless copying will get you nowhere."


Indeed, Shakked did not get far with the "Wordle App," as Apple removed it and numerous other Wordle clones from its app store last night.

Shakked explained himself in a sour Twitter thread, admitting he "fucked up" and promised to never do something like this again (though some questioned the defensiveness in his apology).




+ Add a Comment

Comments (0)

There are no comments currently available.

Display Comments

Add a Comment


Hello! You must login or signup first!