Wordle, the browser word puzzle game your friends are probably playing, is easily the first big sensation of 2022. Since so many folks are either playing it or asking what it is, it’s probably not a good idea to rip it off and then brag about it online.

Here’s a little background. Wordle is a puzzle game where every day you have to correctly guess a five-letter word in six tries. It was created by software engineer Josh Wardle for his wife who loves word games. Wardle said he never wanted to make money from Wordle, hence why it’s a free browser game.

Then there’s Zach Shakked who proudly shared earlier this week on Twitter that he loves Wordle so much that he just made it again and put it on the App Store using the same name, Wordle. Other than the option to guess four, six, and seven-letter words, the (not original) Wordle is essentially the same game and interface.

While copycat apps are quite common, they rarely use the same name. But considering Wardle made this game for his wife and had no intent to earn a profit, he likely didn’t file a copyright claim on the game’s name.

This led (not original) Wordle on the App Store to garner 12,000 downloads overnight and become the fourth highest result for the term “Wordle” according to Shakked. In his words, “We’re going to the f*cking moon.”

There have been games with similar mechanics dating back at least to the 19th century — the 1980s game show Lingo was far from the first — but this guy plagiarized the name and interface from Wordle as a naked cash grab.

— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) January 11, 2022

Because while Wardle offers a free browser version, Shakked offers a paid “Pro version” that gives players unlimited playtime. The backlash was swift, as it's not a great look for someone to brag about profiting from someone else's success. Shakked has since made his Twitter account private.

Engineer Andy Baio, who shared Shakked’s braggadocious tweets on profiting from (not original) Wordle, says that while Wardle’s game is not original itself — with roots going back to the 1980s word game Lingo — Shakked’s version wholesale copies the name and interface that Wardle did originate.

IGN has reached out to Shakked, but in the meantime, you can play the original Wordle here and check out IGN’s beginner’s Wordle guide for some helpful tips.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be a bit more grown-up, with “more adult humor” and “more adult stakes.”

During an interview with IGN, Shazam! producer Peter Safran teased a more grown-up kind of comedy in the upcoming superhero sequel.

“I love what we've done with it,” he said. “I like that the kids are a little bit older so that you can lean into a little more adult humor and also just adult stakes and adult issues that one deals with it at 16 and 17 that you don't deal with at 13 and 14.”

The first footage from Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly looks a lot more spectacular than the first movie, with Zachary Levi stepping back into the role of the over-the-top superhero, Shazam!

“I love the first movie,” said Safran. “I really loved it. And I thought that Sandberg hit that tone just right. It was such a... the eye of needle was so small to thread. I think the second movie's even better.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods adds Helen Mirren as the new villain, Hespera, as well as Lucy Liu in the role of Kalypso. Arriving shortly after the upcoming Black Adam movie, it’s unsurprising to see the Shazam! focus on the characters growing older.

“We very much lean into the idea that Asher's 17 going on 18,” he added. “And I think this script for Shazam! 2 was absolutely fantastic. Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan did an extraordinary job. I am really convinced that this movie is even better.”

Although Shazam! was one of DC’s lowest-grossing movies, it was a huge critical success with audiences bowled over by its light-hearted humor. Now, it looks as though Warner Bros. is aiming to build on this.

“So, I think it's got everything that the first movie had, but frankly, bigger action, great antagonists and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu,” said Safran. “I cannot wait. For anybody that liked the first movie, I think they are just going to go bananas for the sequel. I really do. I love everything about it.”

Zachary Levi returns in Shazam! Fury of the Gods alongside Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer. They’ll be joined by new additions, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods debuts in theaters on June 2, 2023.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be a bit more grown-up, with “more adult humor” and “more adult stakes.”

During an interview with IGN, Shazam! producer Peter Safran teased a more grown-up kind of comedy in the upcoming superhero sequel.

“I love what we've done with it,” he said. “I like that the kids are a little bit older so that you can lean into a little more adult humor and also just adult stakes and adult issues that one deals with it at 16 and 17 that you don't deal with at 13 and 14.”

The first footage from Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly looks a lot more spectacular than the first movie, with Zachary Levi stepping back into the role of the over-the-top superhero, Shazam!

“I love the first movie,” said Safran. “I really loved it. And I thought that Sandberg hit that tone just right. It was such a... the eye of needle was so small to thread. I think the second movie's even better.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods adds Helen Mirren as the new villain, Hespera, as well as Lucy Liu in the role of Kalypso. Arriving shortly after the upcoming Black Adam movie, it’s unsurprising to see the Shazam! focus on the characters growing older.

“We very much lean into the idea that Asher's 17 going on 18,” he added. “And I think this script for Shazam! 2 was absolutely fantastic. Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan did an extraordinary job. I am really convinced that this movie is even better.”

Although Shazam! was one of DC’s lowest-grossing movies, it was a huge critical success with audiences bowled over by its light-hearted humor. Now, it looks as though Warner Bros. is aiming to build on this.

“So, I think it's got everything that the first movie had, but frankly, bigger action, great antagonists and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu,” said Safran. “I cannot wait. For anybody that liked the first movie, I think they are just going to go bananas for the sequel. I really do. I love everything about it.”

Zachary Levi returns in Shazam! Fury of the Gods alongside Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer. They’ll be joined by new additions, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods debuts in theaters on June 2, 2023.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Spider-Man fans agree that Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker is an absolute heartthrob, but the actor has revealed not everyone has always been impressed with his looks. Specifically, Garfield says his appearance kept him from getting the role of Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia movies.

Speaking to Variety, the actor said he was desperate to join the Narnia franchise when he was just getting his start.

“I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it,'” Garfield said. “And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.”

Garfield said he pestered his agent after getting turned down for the role to find out why, leading to his agent telling him, "It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.”

Fortunately, it doesn't seem Garfield holds any ill will towards Barnes for apparently being more handsome than him, as Garfield said, "Ben Barnes is a very handsome, talented man. So in retrospect, I’m not unhappy with the decision and I think he did a beautiful job.”

And, we all know things worked out for Garfield pretty well in the end. After failing to get the part for 2008's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Garfield would go on to gain some traction in 2010's The Social Network, before getting his big break as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man.

Coincidentally Barnes also landed in the Marvel universe by appearing in Netflix's The Punisher series. Whether that series is canon though is anyone's guess.

As for Garfield, over a decade later, the actor has been in the news more than ever. The actor is now talking about how he found lying to fans about his recent roles "stressful but also weirdly enjoyable". Garfield also just won a Golden Globe for his performance in Tick, Tick... Boom! Now, you probably won't find anyone telling him he's not handsome enough for any part out there.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Spider-Man fans agree that Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker is an absolute heartthrob, but the actor has revealed not everyone has always been impressed with his looks. Specifically, Garfield says his appearance kept him from getting the role of Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia movies.

Speaking to Variety, the actor said he was desperate to join the Narnia franchise when he was just getting his start.

“I remember I was so desperate. I auditioned for Prince Caspian in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and I thought, ‘This could be it, this could be it,'” Garfield said. “And that handsome, brilliant actor Ben Barnes ended up getting the role. I think it was down to me and him, and I remember I was obsessed.”

Garfield said he pestered his agent after getting turned down for the role to find out why, leading to his agent telling him, "It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.”

Fortunately, it doesn't seem Garfield holds any ill will towards Barnes for apparently being more handsome than him, as Garfield said, "Ben Barnes is a very handsome, talented man. So in retrospect, I’m not unhappy with the decision and I think he did a beautiful job.”

And, we all know things worked out for Garfield pretty well in the end. After failing to get the part for 2008's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Garfield would go on to gain some traction in 2010's The Social Network, before getting his big break as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man.

Coincidentally Barnes also landed in the Marvel universe by appearing in Netflix's The Punisher series. Whether that series is canon though is anyone's guess.

As for Garfield, over a decade later, the actor has been in the news more than ever. The actor is now talking about how he found lying to fans about his recent roles "stressful but also weirdly enjoyable". Garfield also just won a Golden Globe for his performance in Tick, Tick... Boom! Now, you probably won't find anyone telling him he's not handsome enough for any part out there.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Fans of Red Dead Online are fed up with Rockstar's seeming inattention of late, and they've been making their feelings known on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline.

The hashtag kicked off after Rockstar published an announcement on January 6 about new content coming to Red Dead Online... though most of those using the hashtag would probably hesitate to call it content. The gist of the update is that it increases the rewards for doing a bunch of existing activities in Red Dead Online for a period of time, making it easier to earn gold, experience, items, and other currency. It's all enhancement to stuff that's already there, rather than anything new.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is too beautiful to abandon @RockstarGames #SaveRedDeadOnline pic.twitter.com/WlDF7PNFn2

— Gaming Detective || #SaveRedDeadOnline (@that1detectiv3) January 9, 2022

An announcement of improved in-game rewards would normally be a cause for celebration in an online game, but a number of other factors have instead turned it into a community breaking point. For one, the last actual content update Red Dead Online received was back on July 13, 2021, and it wasn't received especially well due to focusing more on quality of life changes and new missions rather than anything meaty or transformative. Prior to that, Red Dead Online received updates roughly every six to seven months or so, a cadence that was already dissatisfying to its players.

Twice-yearly regular content for an online game might, in a vacuum, actually sound pretty good. But there's another major factor alongside the slow, thin trickle of updates that's had Red Dead Online fans riled up: its comparison to GTA Online.

The GTA Promise

When Red Dead Online first appeared in 2019, it was initially intended to follow in the footsteps of GTA Online as a persistent, online world for Red Dead Redemption 2 players to sink their teeth into for hundreds of hours, over years of updates. After GTA Online's success, it seemed certain that Red Dead Online would stand side-by-side with it as a cowboy-stuffed version of Rockstar's massive, ongoing moneymaker. But in the years since, the differences in support have grown stark.

Like Red Dead Online, GTA Online is also getting major content updates roughly every six months or so, though its updates are consistently much larger and better-received than Red Dead's. It just saw one of those major updates in December, called The Contract, which added an entire new adventure alongside the usual slate of new weapons, vehicles, and missions. These massive updates are proving financially successful, too. At the end of 2020, for instance, GTA Online brought in its highest holiday earnings ever thanks to the Diamond Casino update.

Dear Rock Star! Please don't forget that you have a great game like Red Dead Online! Many players, including myself, really want to return to this incredible world again and again. But the lack of attention to the game gets boring:((( #SaveRedDeadOnline #RockstarGames pic.twitter.com/xgfgCXmkrX

— Valentina (@_ValentinaAleks) January 10, 2022

Worth pointing out is the fact that GTA Online is going on nine years old, while Red Dead Online just turned three. When GTA Online was that age, it was getting anywhere between five and eight major updates in a year (depending on how you classify a "major" update).

Red Dying Online

Perusing the #SaveRedDeadOnline hashtag, which is still going strong days after it started, reveals a number of mixed feelings. There's the initial anger at the lack of meaningful updates in the January 6 post, and reflection on how useless it is to earn more XP and gold when there's nothing new to spend it on. There are requests for specific kinds of content, like proper player housing, a DLC set in Mexico, more story, and even specific bug fixes. There are plenty of memes of course, and lots of snark directed at GTA Online, though there's also some support from GTA Online community members who recognize that their cowboy friends are getting the short end of the stick.

#SaveRedDeadOnline Rockstar is killing the best game ever made pic.twitter.com/DVAs1egkZr

— Z5at|زخات (@Z5at73) January 8, 2022

Many of the tweets seem to simply be worried that without major updates, Red Dead Online will die an early death — one that Rockstar is perhaps endorsing by inaction. While meaty content updates are ultimately what they want, the vast majority of users tweeting #SaveRedDeadOnline come across not so much as making demands of developers, as wanting assurance that the promise of an ongoing Wild West world in the tradition of GTA Online hasn't been broken already by Rockstar and publisher Take-Two.

IGN has reached out to Rockstar for comment.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Fans of Red Dead Online are fed up with Rockstar's seeming inattention of late, and they've been making their feelings known on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline.

The hashtag kicked off after Rockstar published an announcement on January 6 about new content coming to Red Dead Online... though most of those using the hashtag would probably hesitate to call it content. The gist of the update is that it increases the rewards for doing a bunch of existing activities in Red Dead Online for a period of time, making it easier to earn gold, experience, items, and other currency. It's all enhancement to stuff that's already there, rather than anything new.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is too beautiful to abandon @RockstarGames #SaveRedDeadOnline pic.twitter.com/WlDF7PNFn2

— Gaming Detective || #SaveRedDeadOnline (@that1detectiv3) January 9, 2022

An announcement of improved in-game rewards would normally be a cause for celebration in an online game, but a number of other factors have instead turned it into a community breaking point. For one, the last actual content update Red Dead Online received was back on July 13, 2021, and it wasn't received especially well due to focusing more on quality of life changes and new missions rather than anything meaty or transformative. Prior to that, Red Dead Online received updates roughly every six to seven months or so, a cadence that was already dissatisfying to its players.

Twice-yearly regular content for an online game might, in a vacuum, actually sound pretty good. But there's another major factor alongside the slow, thin trickle of updates that's had Red Dead Online fans riled up: its comparison to GTA Online.

The GTA Promise

When Red Dead Online first appeared in 2019, it was initially intended to follow in the footsteps of GTA Online as a persistent, online world for Red Dead Redemption 2 players to sink their teeth into for hundreds of hours, over years of updates. After GTA Online's success, it seemed certain that Red Dead Online would stand side-by-side with it as a cowboy-stuffed version of Rockstar's massive, ongoing moneymaker. But in the years since, the differences in support have grown stark.

Like Red Dead Online, GTA Online is also getting major content updates roughly every six months or so, though its updates are consistently much larger and better-received than Red Dead's. It just saw one of those major updates in December, called The Contract, which added an entire new adventure alongside the usual slate of new weapons, vehicles, and missions. These massive updates are proving financially successful, too. At the end of 2020, for instance, GTA Online brought in its highest holiday earnings ever thanks to the Diamond Casino update.

Dear Rock Star! Please don't forget that you have a great game like Red Dead Online! Many players, including myself, really want to return to this incredible world again and again. But the lack of attention to the game gets boring:((( #SaveRedDeadOnline #RockstarGames pic.twitter.com/xgfgCXmkrX

— Valentina (@_ValentinaAleks) January 10, 2022

Worth pointing out is the fact that GTA Online is going on nine years old, while Red Dead Online just turned three. When GTA Online was that age, it was getting anywhere between five and eight major updates in a year (depending on how you classify a "major" update).

Red Dying Online

Perusing the #SaveRedDeadOnline hashtag, which is still going strong days after it started, reveals a number of mixed feelings. There's the initial anger at the lack of meaningful updates in the January 6 post, and reflection on how useless it is to earn more XP and gold when there's nothing new to spend it on. There are requests for specific kinds of content, like proper player housing, a DLC set in Mexico, more story, and even specific bug fixes. There are plenty of memes of course, and lots of snark directed at GTA Online, though there's also some support from GTA Online community members who recognize that their cowboy friends are getting the short end of the stick.

#SaveRedDeadOnline Rockstar is killing the best game ever made pic.twitter.com/DVAs1egkZr

— Z5at|زخات (@Z5at73) January 8, 2022

Many of the tweets seem to simply be worried that without major updates, Red Dead Online will die an early death — one that Rockstar is perhaps endorsing by inaction. While meaty content updates are ultimately what they want, the vast majority of users tweeting #SaveRedDeadOnline come across not so much as making demands of developers, as wanting assurance that the promise of an ongoing Wild West world in the tradition of GTA Online hasn't been broken already by Rockstar and publisher Take-Two.

IGN has reached out to Rockstar for comment.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Attack on Titan and Call of Duty are crossing over for a new item pack that turns you into a member of the infamous Survey Corps in Warzone and Vanguard.

The Tracer Pack: Attack on Titan: Levi Edition Bundle includes several new skins for various weapons and more. Chief among them is a new skin for the Daniel Yatsu operator that gives him Levi Ackerman's split hairdo, beige Survey Corps jacket, and white jabot collar.

Here's what else is included:

• A new finishing move, MVP highlight, and highlight intro based on the Survey Corps high-flying aerial slash maneuvers they use against titans.
• An emblem emblazoned with the Survey Corps wings.
• Three weapon blueprints: The "Historia," designed for close-range from-the-hip fire, and the "Ymir Curse," a mid-to-long range weapon with near-zero vertical recoil. The third weapon blueprint is for a pair of dual-wield knives that look exactly like the titan piercer blades used by Survey Corps members.
• A weapon charm designed to look like the infamous key to Eren Yeager's basement.
• "One hot potato" sticker, a reference to the ravenously hungry character Sasha.

The new pack releases on January 20. Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part Two debuted just last weekend, kicking off the conclusion to the long-running anime franchise. IGN's official review called it "brutal, devastating, exciting table setting."

Also included in the new Call of Duty update, which goes live later today: A new operator named Isabella (whose "Wild Rose" pack includes two new weapon blueprints), plus a new SMG that's described as a blend between the Sten and the Owen Gun.

There's also an introduction to the Vanguard Zombies season two story via "The Void," a new part of the "Shi No Numa" map that teleports you through a portal to some sort of alternate dimension. While in the Void, you'll play classic survival rounds, and earn rewards for every three rounds you survive. Players will have the choice to flee or survive at any point after three rounds. You can earn 5,000 Essence Points for every three rounds survived (plus a Sacrificial Heart if you make it back to Stalingrad), and surviving a total of 12 rounds will earn you a perk that keeps your Perks from dropping below Tier 2 when you go down for the rest of the match. Treyarch is also teasing that players who survive even longer than that may discover details about future story beats.

Call of Duty: Warzone is currently facing a new slew of issues with invisible player skins, all while Raven Software's QA team and other Activision Blizzard employees go into their fourth week of strike action.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/one hot potato for IGN.

Attack on Titan and Call of Duty are crossing over for a new item pack that turns you into a member of the infamous Survey Corps in Warzone and Vanguard.

The Tracer Pack: Attack on Titan: Levi Edition Bundle includes several new skins for various weapons and more. Chief among them is a new skin for the Daniel Yatsu operator that gives him Levi Ackerman's split hairdo, beige Survey Corps jacket, and white jabot collar.

Here's what else is included:

• A new finishing move, MVP highlight, and highlight intro based on the Survey Corps high-flying aerial slash maneuvers they use against titans.
• An emblem emblazoned with the Survey Corps wings.
• Three weapon blueprints: The "Historia," designed for close-range from-the-hip fire, and the "Ymir Curse," a mid-to-long range weapon with near-zero vertical recoil. The third weapon blueprint is for a pair of dual-wield knives that look exactly like the titan piercer blades used by Survey Corps members.
• A weapon charm designed to look like the infamous key to Eren Yeager's basement.
• "One hot potato" sticker, a reference to the ravenously hungry character Sasha.

The new pack releases on January 20. Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part Two debuted just last weekend, kicking off the conclusion to the long-running anime franchise. IGN's official review called it "brutal, devastating, exciting table setting."

Also included in the new Call of Duty update, which goes live later today: A new operator named Isabella (whose "Wild Rose" pack includes two new weapon blueprints), plus a new SMG that's described as a blend between the Sten and the Owen Gun.

There's also an introduction to the Vanguard Zombies season two story via "The Void," a new part of the "Shi No Numa" map that teleports you through a portal to some sort of alternate dimension. While in the Void, you'll play classic survival rounds, and earn rewards for every three rounds you survive. Players will have the choice to flee or survive at any point after three rounds. You can earn 5,000 Essence Points for every three rounds survived (plus a Sacrificial Heart if you make it back to Stalingrad), and surviving a total of 12 rounds will earn you a perk that keeps your Perks from dropping below Tier 2 when you go down for the rest of the match. Treyarch is also teasing that players who survive even longer than that may discover details about future story beats.

Call of Duty: Warzone is currently facing a new slew of issues with invisible player skins, all while Raven Software's QA team and other Activision Blizzard employees go into their fourth week of strike action.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/one hot potato for IGN.

Michael Sarnoski, the director of Pig starring Nicolas Cage, is in talks to helm a new movie in the A Quiet Place franchise.

Although this is set to be the third Quiet Place movie, Deadline reports that this is not a sequel to A Quiet Place Part 2, but rather a spinoff based on an idea by John Krasinski. The former Office actor directed both films and starred in the first one.

According to the report, neither Krasinski nor Emily Blunt will reprise their roles for this next movie.

Sarnoski shot to acclaim after directing 2021’s Pig, a movie about a lone farmer venturing into the underbelly of the Portland culinary scene to retrieve his kidnapped truffle pig. While the plot evokes animal revenge movies like John Wick, Pig is a more meditative film though with bursts of intensity.

Pig landed on multiple Best Of lists including IGN’s for Best Movie and Best Performance. You can read our Pig review here.

Meanwhile, A Quiet Place continues to grow into a hit franchise. The first film grossed over $350 million on a $17 million budget and the sequel nearly hit $300 million at the box office. The horror franchise is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by blind monsters who hunt through hearing.

This has forced humanity to become quiet to not attract attention from these creatures, though not making any sound at all is no small challenge. Krasinski and real-life wife Emily Blunt starred in the first two movies as husband and wife ensuring the safety of their three children.

IGN praised A Quiet Place Part 2 in our review calling it a worthy sequel that almost goes toe-to-toe with its predecessor.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.