Developer Zach Shakked — the creator of one in every of a number of controversial copycat variations of Josh Wardle’s popular free word-guessing game — has responded to Apple eradicating his app from the App Store after an web backlash that adopted his boasting concerning the money-making potential of his clone.

“I realize I crossed a line. And I surely, surely will never do anything remotely close to this again. I fucked up,” tweeted Shakked. He goes on to clarify that “Wordle” itself wasn’t trademarked and that Wardle’s recreation was much like Lingo, an older TV recreation present with an identical word-guessing mechanic. Shakked additionally says that he deliberate to increase on Wordle with extra performance and alter the general design of the app to much less resemble Wardle’s personal recreation, had he been capable of earlier than Apple eliminated his app from the shop.

Wordle has skyrocketed to recognition over the previous a number of weeks, with its minimalist design, bite-sized day by day puzzles, and the now-iconic grids of gray, yellow, and inexperienced squares. The authentic recreation is totally free and solely performed by way of an online browser, leaving a possibility for any variety of copycats to attempt to make a fast buck off the idea on the App Store.

Shakked’s clone (referred to as “Wordle – The App”) was one of many extra high-profile copies, due to the developer’s celebratory tweets concerning the challenge and the eyebrow-raising price ticket — an non-compulsory $30-per-year annual subscription that may enable gamers to play a vast variety of puzzles, as a substitute of Wordle’s one-per-day system. Shakked’s tweets additionally rubbed many the unsuitable means, boasting about what number of downloads and subscription trials his app was getting and the way it was “going to the fucking moon.”

Shortly after experiences of Wordle knockoffs broke, Apple leapt into motion, eradicating the offending apps from the App Store final evening. Currently, there are solely two puzzle video games referred to as “Wordle” left on Apple’s storefront, each of which supply very various kinds of phrase video games than Wardle’s viral hit and which predate the net app by various years. (Incidentally, the opposite Wordles seem like vastly benefiting from Wardle’s recreation’s success, with each apps rocketing up the App Store charts).

In a separate thread, Shakked additionally says that he spoke to Wardle and provided to license the thought, work collectively to develop an official app, or pay him a share of any revenue, which Wardle reportedly declined. Shakked additionally claims that he instructed Wardle that he would “consider changing the name” earlier than the app was eliminated solely.

Wardle, for what it’s price, has already been extraordinarily clear concerning the thought of monetizing Wordle (which, as he explained in a New York Times interview, was initially created as a present for his accomplice). “I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” Wardle mentioned. “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.”

The aftermath of the blowback appears to have soured Shakked (who had beforehand complained on Twitter about how “[s]hameless copy/pasting ideas/features will get you nowhere”) on the thought of copycat apps sooner or later. “I’ll go back to creating apps based on my completely, evergreen, original ideas and never fuck with anything remotely like this again,” Shakked’s thread concludes.

Zach Shakked didn’t reply to request for remark.