{"id":16311,"date":"2022-02-24T18:44:04","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T18:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/24\/the-wordle-app-predated-wordle-by-6-years-then-josh-wardles-game-went-viral\/"},"modified":"2022-02-24T18:44:04","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T18:44:04","slug":"the-wordle-app-predated-wordle-by-6-years-then-josh-wardles-game-went-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/24\/the-wordle-app-predated-wordle-by-6-years-then-josh-wardles-game-went-viral\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Wordle!\u2019 app predated \u2018Wordle\u2019 by 6 years. Then Josh Wardle\u2019s game went viral."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cravotta\u2019s beloved side project has since become the No. 1 game in the App Store in eight countries, and the 24-year-old is cashing in on that success for a good cause \u2014 and with Wardle\u2019s blessing. This week, Cravotta is donating $50,000 of the revenue generated through his \u201cWordle!\u201d app to a charity they both agreed upon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s crazy to think back during that time when I was building [\u2018Wordle!\u2019], because I was literally reading through a dictionary on the Internet and putting words into the game manually,\u201d Cravotta told The Washington Post via Zoom. \u201cI just had no idea it was going to blow up like this down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cravotta\u2019s \u201cWordle!\u201d sits at 8 million downloads and is only available in Apple\u2019s App Store. It features a few different games that have players guessing or spelling words with a limited number of attempts. By contrast, Wardle\u2019s \u201cWordle,\u201d which the New York Times recently acquired for an undisclosed seven-figure price tag, is a single game that gives users six chances to guess a daily five-letter word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wardle\u2019s game, currently only playable via web browser, launched in October and grew in popularity in large part thanks to Twitter, with users sharing cryptic photos of their green-tiled victories. Its success has since spawned a wave of adaptations and themed knockoffs<\/a> \u2014 some of which have attempted to profit off the mistaken identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Given how similar the names of Wardle\u2019s and Cravotta\u2019s creations are, naturally some<\/a> players<\/a> have been confused about which game is which.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cConfession, I\u2019ve been playing the wrong \u2018Wordle,\u2019 \u201d one user tweeted<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cravotta first became aware of the app\u2019s breakaway success around Christmas. The developer was home spending time with family in Atlanta, and hadn\u2019t paid much attention to the app\u2019s metrics dashboard for a couple of days. Back then, \u201cWordle!\u201d averaged around two to three downloads per day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI had no reason to build this app other than I enjoyed doing this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was my passion. And you know, I didn\u2019t think anything was going to come of it, I just thought it would be cool to have my friends play a game that I put on the App Store.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When he finally checked the app\u2019s stats that week, he saw a single vertical line that shot upward, indicating a major uptick in downloads. Cravotta initially though fake accounts or spammers were responsible \u2014 after all, what app gets half a million downloads in less than a week seemingly out of nowhere?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI thought someone had sent robot downloads to my app, or whatever,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I did a quick Google search, and obviously, Josh Wardle\u2019s game came up \u2014 \u2018Wordle.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He rushed downstairs to tell his parents the good news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI freaked out,\u201d Cravotta, who\u2019s now based in Santa Monica, Calif., said. \u201cI was like, \u2018This is insane. This guy made this great game, and people are confusing it for mine.’ \u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the \u201cWordle!\u201d app doesn\u2019t cost anything to download, developers of free apps can still earn revenue via in-app advertising, in-app purchases or affiliated marketing. After noticing his app\u2019s spike in revenue, Cravotta immediately messaged Wardle, from one developer to another, about the mix-up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI read how [Wardle initially] didn\u2019t want to put ads on it or make any revenue off of his game \u2014 and I respected that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the similarities between the games, down to the titles, Cravotta said that it never crossed his mind to take legal action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAbsolutely never ever crossed my mind,\u201d he said. “Josh and I teamed up instead to make a positive impact on the world. We uplifted each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With Wardle\u2019s support, Cravotta decided to donate $50,000 of the app\u2019s revenue to Boost! West Oakland<\/a>. Boost! provides free tutoring and mentorship for children in Oakland, Calif. \u2014 the city where Wardle, who now lives in Brooklyn, used to be based. Seeing as both games centered on word puzzles, Cravotta felt the money should go to a literacy-focused nonprofit. Wardle agreed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s almost fate that Josh and I were connected,\u201d Cravotta said. \u201cWhat\u2019s great about our generation is we are not here to go after each other, but uplift each other\u2019s ideas and make the world a better place while doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But besides developing apps, working a day job at an advertising agency, and running his own TikTok ad agency, Cravotta \u2014 dressed in a plain white T-shirt \u2014 said he\u2019s not too different from other 24-year-olds. Beyond being an entrepreneur and a big gamer, he loves Italian pasta, going to the beach and hyping up his friends to create unique projects of their own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis is what I love to do \u2014 creating cool stuff,\u201d Cravotta said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cravotta was inspired by his role model of a dad, who has a background in sales. Having grown up with social media, it wasn\u2019t long before he found himself promoting products and showing companies how to gain traction online. But still, he felt something was missing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI wanted to promote something that I built \u2014 something that was my own,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so that\u2019s kind of how I came to start developing my own products. And that led to me building websites that I could put ads on, and then eventually building apps that I could promote and, you know, earn revenue from.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cravotta learned how to code, build websites and, eventually, create apps by watching YouTube videos \u2014 all part of his side hustle at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt was the coolest feeling in the world to build something that other people were using,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Though there\u2019s much uncertainty in the world of entrepreneurship and content development, Cravotta said taking risks is part of the experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think a huge part of being successful is just taking bets on yourself. It’s kind of what I live by,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that’s definitely one of my main goals \u2014 to inspire other young entrepreneurs to start doing this. Even if you don’t see the long-term benefit yet, just start doing stuff that you’re passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His latest project, Puff Count, which is also free on the App Store, helps people manage their vaping habits to quit. Cravotta built the app after watching several of his close friends struggle with vaping addictions. The app reached 30,000 downloads within the first month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf I was building games that were getting hundreds of thousands of downloads, I knew I could build a product that could help the same amount of people live healthier lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Looking ahead, Cravotta would like to create and develop apps that speak to this larger goal of helping people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think creating games is cool,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m definitely much more interested in building products that help people live better lives. And, that\u2019s not to say I won\u2019t build games in the future, but I think right now, that is my main mission. I think that\u2019s what I\u2019m here to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Amanda Florian<\/i><\/a> is an independent journalist based between the U.S. and Shanghai, China. Her specialties include internet culture, language, music, and China\u2019s new media scene. Florian\u2019s work has appeared in CNN, NBC, USA Today, Discover Magazine, Rest of World, The Charlotte Observer, and more. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n