And its using takedown notices to kill 1,900 versions of the game housed on GitHub.
(Wackerfuss claims he coded Reactle with a friend before the Times bought Wordle in 2022).
Some developers created versions of the game in different languages, including Hungarian and Persian.
The New York Times took issue with the wording on “Reactle” and said it was a clear clone of its massively popular Wordle game.Illustration: Jody Serrano / Reactle
Others created versions based on specific themes.
The Times was not happy with Reactle or its hundreds of offshootsand for good reason.
Games have become an increasingly important part of the media organization, and Wordle is its biggest hit.
Reactle is shown on the left. Wordle is shown on the right.Screenshot: Internet Archive / New York Times (AP)
Earlier this year,Axios reportedthat Wordle was played 4.8 billion times last year.
Times executives told Axios that it strived to be the premier subscription destination for puzzles.
It currently sells a games-only subscription for $6 per month, although Wordle remains free to play.
It also asks GitHub to delete all of the forks of Reactle.
Wackerfuss told 404 Media that he decided to remove Reactle from GitHub after being informed of the takedown request.
GitHub messaged me and I was just like, you know what, fuck this.
When reached by Gizmodo, Wackerfuss declined to comment on the situation with Reactle and the Times.
However, he told 404 Media that he had not been acting in bad faith.
To me, Wordle is like Tetris or a deck of cards.
Its such a simple premise, Wackerfuss said.
GitHub declined to comment on whether it was taking action on the Reactle forks.
We review all DMCA takedown requests thoroughly, GitHub told Gizmodo in an emailed statement.
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