Wordle Archive, a website that gave players extra practice at the five-letter word game by providing access to previous Wordle puzzles, has been shut down, Ars Technica reported.
“Sadly, the New York Times has requested that the Wordle Archive be taken down,” a message on the website reads. “However, you can still play the daily Wordle over on their official site.”
According to the New York Times, the archive was “unauthorized,” Ars Technica reported. But the now-defunct Wordle Archive can still be accessed in archived form, allowing users to play past games through March 3.
Are Wordle spinoffs at risk?
Fans of Wordle still have a lot of ways to get in practice.
Since its start a few months ago, Wordle has spawned countless variations, the Deseret News reported. There’s even Wordle Unlimited, which allows users to play Wordle an unlimited number of times each day.
But the New York Times’ move to shut down the Wordle Archive indicates that some of these spinoffs may also be at risk of getting shut down, Ars Technica reported.
The New York Times filed for a Wordle trademark on Feb. 1 — the day after the paper announced its seven-figure purchase of the game from Josh Wardle, the game’s creator, according to Ars Technica. The trademark means Wordle could go after any product that uses the Wordle name.
Shutting down Wordle Archive could also indicate that the New York Times wants to create an archive of its own like it has for its crossword puzzles, The Verge reported.
Wordle still remains free under the ownership of the New York Times, although some players have said the game has gotten more difficult since the move to the Times, the Deseret News reported.