Spotify acquires Heardle, the popular music-based Wordle clone

By Cristina Alexander July 12, 2022

Spotify announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Heardle, the music trivia game version of Wordle.

According to a press release, the music streaming platform said that purchasing Heardle — the cost of which Spotify declined to disclose — will help improve the discoverability of songs old and new. In other words, it will help players rediscover their old favorite hits and introduce them to new artists, as well as link them to their music on Spotify whether they guessed the songs correctly or not.

Spotify and Heardle logos. — Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images

“We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans,” said Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music. “Heardle has proven to be a really fun way to connect millions of fans with songs they know and love and with new songs . . . and a way to compete with their friends as to who has the best musical knowledge. Since its debut, the game has quickly built a loyal following, and it aligns with our plans to deepen interactivity across the Spotify ecosystem.”

If you’ve been playing Heardle up until now, it used Soundcloud as a music player. Now, Heardle‘s logo font has changed to match Spotify’s, along with integrating the platform’s music player, but the game remains the same.

Heardle will remain a free game and a standalone website — at least for now. Players will get to try out the new Heardle in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand before it expands to other countries and languages.

Spotify said it plans to integrate Heardle “more fully” into the app, but it didn’t say how or when that will happen. Considering that it has integrated Genius trivia cards underneath some songs, Heardle and Spotify are a match made in music heaven.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Cristina Alexander

Gaming/Mobile Writer

Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…

Mobile

Spotify apparently exploring addition of music videos to Now Playing screen

Spotify is reportedly thinking about adding music videos to its platform, according to code found in the current version of the streaming service's app.

The potential feature was discovered by tech blogger Jane Wong, who is known for seeking out new and hidden features of apps and services, and posted on Twitter.

Mobile

Apple Music still trails Spotify as growth continued for music streaming in 2019

Apple Music may have made great strides in 2019, but Spotify remains on top of the music streaming industry that saw a significant boost in subscriptions last year.

Online music streaming subscriptions across the world increased by 32% in 2019, for a total of 358 million subscribers, according to the latest findings of Counterpoint Research. The firm attributed the steady growth of the industry to factors that include exclusive content such as podcasts, and promotions such as reduced subscription prices and bundle offers from carriers.
Spotify vs. Apple Music
Spotify continues to dominate, with 31% of the music streaming industry's total revenue and 35% of total paid subscriptions. Counterpoint analyst Abhilash Kumar said that Spotify was able to maintain its top spot due to promotions such as a free three-month trial for Spotify Premium, discounts, customized campaigns, and a focus on providing exclusive content to subscribers.

Gaming

Hades 2 shows the Steam Deck’s biggest advantage over the Nintendo Switch

A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

The PC-only launch means that Hades 2 is a Steam Deck "exclusive" for the time being (or at least exclusive to portable PCs like it and the Asus ROG Ally). It'll likely come to Nintendo's system -- or its predecessor -- once it hits 1.0, but developer Supergiant doesn't expect its game to leave early access until at least the end of 2024. Until then, you'll need a device like the Steam Deck to play it on the go. That's a reminder that Valve has beaten the Switch at its own game, and Nintendo will have to get creative again with its next system to regain its throne.
Early access on the go
Based on my time with it so far, Hades 2 is a phenomenal match for the Steam Deck. It's already Verified for the platform, and for good reason. It looks fantastic (especially on an OLED screen) and runs smoothly. I've already taken it on the go and found that it's not a huge drain on the Steam Deck's battery. At this point, I don't imagine I'll need to play it any other way.