In a surprising turn of events, the New York Times has set its sights on a game called Worldle, with a legal filing claiming that the geography-based game is causing confusion due to its striking similarity to the popular word-guessing puzzle game, Wordle. The Times, which purchased Wordle in 2022 for a seven-figure sum, alleges that Worldle is "nearly identical in appearance, sound, meaning, and commercial impression."

The emergence of Worldle, along with over 100 other Wordle spinoffs, offering niche alternatives in various languages and game structures, has prompted the Times to file for a Wordle trademark shortly after acquiring the game. Since then, the Times has been actively sending takedown requests, expressing concern that players may accidentally be diverted to Worldle instead of their daily Wordle dose.

While the Times' apprehensions may seem exaggerated, considering a Google search for "Worldle" prominently features Wordle in the top results, the company's determination to protect its brand has been growing throughout the year. The Times has been taking aim at numerous Wordle clones, serving DMCA notices in defense of the Wordle trademark. Some developers, like Chase Wackerfuss, the creator of Reactle, have promptly complied to avoid intellectual property battles.

The Times' aggressive stance further led to the closure of the Wordle Archive, which had previously provided access to previous Wordle puzzles. Frustratingly, the New York Times had requested its removal. However, independent developers argue that they are merely building upon Wordle's premise to create unique variations that the Times would never develop themselves.

Kory McDonald, the developer behind Worldle, is not willing to back down in the face of legal threats. Despite being a one-man operation that attracts approximately 100,000 players monthly, McDonald voiced disappointment in the Times' targeting of his game. He emphasized that most of the revenues generated from Worldle go to Google due to the use of Google Street View images, with the game being supported by ads and annual subscriptions costing less than $12.

McDonald highlighted that there is a whole industry of "-le" games, with Wordle focusing on words, Worldle on the world, and Flaggle on flags. McDonald's determination to defend his game against the Times' attempts to take it down remains unwavering. Whether the Times' legal action will hold strong or if it will extend its target to other "-le" games is still uncertain, as is the potential outcome regarding a similar game called Worldle, where players guess countries based on their outlines.

As of now, the New York Times has not commented on the ongoing legal action. Previously, the Times has targeted Wordle clones that utilize the Wordle trademark or copyrighted gameplay without permission. Given that McDonald's Worldle has fundamentally different gameplay, the Times may only argue that the similar-sounding names cause confusion for the average user.

McDonald remains optimistic, stating that even if the Times were to prevail, he intends to keep his game alive, potentially under a different name. The possibility of McDonald's fight setting a precedent for others to resist takedowns over the Wordle trademark looms on the horizon. Ultimately, it seems the battle between the independent developer and the media giant is far from over.