Wordle Archive Gets Shut Down At Request of New York Times
The Wordle Archivehas been shut down at the request of The New York Times, following NYT's recent acquisition of Wordle. Wordle went viral in 2022, climbing in popularity due to its ease of access and its social-friendly way to share results, and the Wordle Archive allowed fans to access the complete backlog of Wordle puzzles.
Wordle took the world by storm earlier this year, and its creator, Josh Wardle, worked to keep the game free for everyone, choosing not to monetize the release despite the potentially huge amount of profit that this could have led to. Following on from the game's viral success, Wordle was purchased by The New York Times in late January 2022. While the title still remains free for its many players, the purchase sparked fears that Wordle may be paywalled in the future, with lots of fans unhappy about the NYT purchase.
Related: Wordle Clone Comes To Nintendo Switch (& It's Free For Some Players)
As of March 8, those looking to access older puzzles through Metzger Media's Wordle Archive will no longer have the option, as the site has been taken down at the request of The New York Times (via Game Rant). Those looking to access Wordle Archive will be greeted with a "Thanks for playing" message, stating that "the New York Times has requested that the Wordle Archive be taken down." Players who may have wanted to access the extensive backlog of daily puzzles, which date back to the first Wordle published on 19 June 2021, are now unable to do so. The website now suggests players try out Metzger Media's own game, Word Grid, instead.
The news has been met with backlash from Wordle fans, many of whom were already displeased with the NYT purchase. Along with paywall fears, there have been other concerns about
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