According to the latest report, Wordle’s clone, Wordle!, has become the most downloaded free-to-play game on the App Store, despite the latter’s development actually predating the game’s popular web version.
Despite The New York Times’ recent acquisition of Wordle, the still-popular everyday word game, it still attracts viewers and scammers. It’s a simple web-based game with a daily guessing mechanic that can easily be cloned by profit-seeking crooks.
The latest clone to top the free games chart is from a developer named Steven Cravotta. While it adds some challenge modes with timers, it takes inspiration from web games. However, the story goes way beyond that.
An AppleInsider reader pointed out that the game Wordle! existed before the popularity of the browser game Wordle. App Store listings show it’s been around for more than five years. However, the previous version of the game did not have a game mode similar to the browser-based Wordle.
The developer noticed that his game was getting a lot of downloads after the web game went viral, so he contacted Josh Wardle, the developer of the Wordle web game. Cravotta and Wardle decided to donate profits from the Wordle! game to Boost! West Oakland.
A version of “Wordle” has since been added to the game as a standalone game mode. Whether this version of the game will be allowed to exist after the New York Times acquisition is unknown.
The app is named Wordle!, has an exclamation point on it, and its description touts it as “like a viral word game, but on your phone !” It has several in-app purchases to unlock Word, buy in-app coins, and get jump tokens. There is also a $2.99 ”Remove Ads” IAP.
Wordle! isn’t the only app that has climbed the App Store charts with a similar browser-based sensation. Below it is other clones such as Wordus at number 7 and Word Guess – Word Games at number 11 on the free games chart. These three games also ranked in the top three of the word game rankings.
On the other hand, Wordle! is probably the only app whose developers actually communicate with the developers of the browser-based version. It’s unclear if the game mode mimicking “Wardle”‘s wordplay was added with his blessing.