'Wordle' Owner, The New York Times, Sued Creator of Geography Guessing Game 'Worldle'

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The New York Times, owner of the web-based word game Wordle, has taken legal action against the creator of the location-guessing game Worldle.

This follows a statement made by Jonathan Knight, the New York Times' head of games, last year when he said that comparable games have always been allowed as they help keep the game interesting for players.

'Wordle' Owner, the New York Times, Sued Creator of Geography Guessing Game 'Worldle'
The New York Times, owner of the web-based word game Wordle, has taken legal action against the creator of the location-guessing game Worldle. Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash

Wordle vs. Worldle

Wordle was created by Welsh tech engineer Josh Wardle. In 2022, the New York Times paid seven figures to acquire the game, in which players had to identify a five-letter word daily.

Worldle, on the other hand, requires players to determine a location based on Google Street View. Seattle-based Kory McDonald developed the game.

'Worldle' Developer Accused of Profiting From 'Wordle' Popularity

According to BBC, the New York Times accused McDonald of creating confusion among users and trying to profit from the popularity of Wordle. However, McDonald argued that it is entirely different from Wordle, and he plans to fight back since many games have identical titles.

"Wordle is about words, Worldle is about the world," he noted.

However, the New York Times has a different opinion on this. According to its legal paperwork, Worldle is quite similar to Wordle in terms of look, sound, meaning, and commercial impression.

There are advertisements in Worldle, but you can play without them for £10 ($13) per year. For the most part, McDonald claims that Google reaps the financial benefits of the game's usage of Street View photographs.

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