New York Times changes ‘Wordle’ despite claiming otherwise

nme.com:

New York Times has purchased the online word-solving game, Wordle, it appears that the publication has altered the game despite claims it hasn’t.According to The Guardian journalist Alex Hern, the New York Times has changed its statement regarding the changes it’s made to Wordle after its acquisition.

Recently, there have been discussions online from Wordle players who have explained that they felt the game has been altered since its acquisition, with some saying that it seems harder.At the time, the NYT said in a statement to The Guardian that “nothing has changed about the gameplay,” however, Alex Hern has noted that the NYT has now changed its statement.“Literally one day ago, the NYT denied in a statement to the Guardian that it had made any changes to the gameplay of wordle,” Hern said on Twitter. “At that point it had already in fact substantially altered the list of acceptable words; today, it’s edited the actual answer itself.”It’s now been reported that the publication has removed and banned some offensive language and gendered slurs that were previously allowed to be input into the game.In the new statement to Polygon, a New York Times representative said: “Offensive words will always be omitted from consideration.

As we have just started Wordle’s transition to The Times website, we are still in the process of removing those words from the game play.”Some of the offensive words that have been removed include “bitch,” “whore,” and “sluts,” and when players try to input those words the game will alert that the terms are “not in word list.”Wordle was originally created by Josh Wardle and became an online success in late 2021 until it was bought by the New York Times, which has stated will “initially” remain free.