Wordle Rip-Off Appeared on App Store With Subscription Model, Pulled After Criticism

gadgets.ndtv.com:

Wordle — the daily secret word game — tasted great popularity recently as several people started tweeting about the game with screenshots, making it even popular. But since Wordle is so far officially playable only on the Web, a developer built its clone and made it live on Apple's App Store. The replica arrived with in-app purchases and garnered thousands of downloads shortly after the release. However, shortly after its debut, the game was pulled from the App Store.

New York City-based developer Zach Shakked created the Wordle rip-off earlier this week. Called Wordle - The App, it offered a similar gameplay where users have to guess five-letter words to solve the puzzle of the day. It also had the same layout and interface. The rip-off, however, did have some changes over the original version and allowed users to guess up to seven-letter words, the developer tweeted.

I love Wordle so much I decided to make my own Wordle app but with a twist! There's not just 5-letter words, but also 4, 6, and 7 letter words too! You can also play unlimited times if you're on the Pro version. https://t.co/eOkRovYSxN

While Wordle in its official form is available for free to all users, the copied model was available with a $30 (roughly Rs. 2,200) annual subscription. The game garnered over 5,400 downloads in just an hour after launch and reached the 28th rank in word games available on the App Store shortly thereafter, Shakked said.

The developer pointed out that he managed to offer the same game mechanics and interface on the game that are available on Wordle since the creator of the original version — Josh Wardle — doesn't own its trademark ownership.

But nonetheless, shortly after creating the imitation, Shakked faced outrage on