New York Times Shuts Down Wordle Archive

gamerant.com:

While it's still early, Wordle has etched out a reputation as the defining online sensation of 2022, with few challengers to the throne this early on in the year. However, following New York Time's acquisition of Wordle, criticisms of how the online game has been handled have enveloped it in small controversies. Some fans have taken issue with the regular use of double letters, while others believe that the words have been too esoteric. A new move from the New York Times is bound to stir up more controversy.

Wordle Archive was a service dedicated to the preservation of previous Wordle answers, allowing fans to dip into the backlog and play older puzzles, dating all the way back to the first one. However, the service has since been shut down at the request of the New York Times, as announced by an update on the application's webpage.

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The announcement thanks fans for their interest in the Wordle Archive and thanks them for their feedback throughout its life. It goes on to explain the situation and tell fans that its own original game, Word Grid, is still available for those that are interested in playing something similar. However, it is no longer possible to access that version of Wordle Archive, which many fans have used.

Notably, there are several other applications similar to Wordle Archive that have popped up online, so fans still have the opportunity to play older puzzles if they so desire. That being said, it's likely that New York Times will begin shutting down these alternative apps one-by-one, now that it owns the property and will likely eventually include it as part of a paid subscription.

The shutdown does raise questions about similar games