A developer of an apparent Wordle clone is facing backlash after some have pointed out similarities between it and the hit free-to-play word game.
Searching the term Wordle on the App Store returns Wordle – The App, a game created by Shakd, LLC, owned by Zach Shakked.
Shakked says of the app that:
“I love Wordle so much I decided to make my own Wordle app but with a twist! There’s not just 5-letter words, but also 4, 6, and 7 letter words too!”
This is absurd. 450 trials at 1am last night, now at 950 and getting a new ones every minute. 12K downloads, rank #28 word game, and #4 result for "wordle" in the App Store. We're going to the fucking moon. pic.twitter.com/fE7fsgYVJC
— Zach (@zachshakked) January 11, 2022
Zach has also claimed that the game achieves thousands of downloads per hour.
I'm literally giddy right now – that's 5.4k downloads in 1 FUCKING HOUR. pic.twitter.com/1XfAFcHlof
— Zach (@zachshakked) January 11, 2022
The game offers a free trial and a paid version, with the latter element being a significant point of contention with Wordle players on Twitter who’ve noticed the similarities.
The developer of the upcoming PlayDate handheld, @cabel, responded saying:
“That’s ironic because I’m now literally giddy to hopefully walk the creator of Wordle through the App Store takedown process.”
The reception around Twitter has been similarly negative.
Developer Andy Baio tweeted the following in response to Shakked’s apparent bragging.
