For those who’ve caught the Wordle bug and enjoy starting their day with a fun little guessing game, Heardle has become a popular means of getting that fix.
Offering players the chance to test their musical knowledge by guessing the title and artist of a song based only on hearing the intro, the game has cultivated a loyal fanbase of would-be casanovas, whose worlds have recently been rocked by the announcement of its acquisition by a streaming powerhouse.
That’s right, Spotify has bought Heardle.
Heardle is Under New Management, But Will Seemingly Stay the Same
In a blog post, the music streaming service revealed the Heardle acquisition, saying: “at Spotify, we love all things music - and all things music trivia - which is why we’re excited to announce that the beloved interactive music trivia game will be joining Spotify.”
It also stated that it sees Heardle as a “tool for musical discovery”, helping users to reconnect with older music they may have not listened to in a while, uncover new artists, and identify the kind of earworm songs that easily get stuck in your head.
“We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans,” said Spotify’s Global Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, in the blog post, adding: “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.”
He continued: “Since its debut, the game has quickly built a loyal following, and it aligns with our plans to deepen interactivity across the Spotify ecosystem.”
Despite this promised integration into Spotify’s ranks, the company has suggested that, for now, any changes made directly to the game will be minimal, revealing in the post that: “for existing Heardle players, the look and feel of the game will stay the same, and it’ll remain free to play for everyone.”
The only major adjustment at present is that players will now be able to listen to the full versions of the songs they’re guessing on via Spotify at the conclusion of any given game.
In the future, Spotify looks to be planning on making the game available in more countries across the world, offering more people “the opportunity to play and enjoy the game in their native language”.
The news of the acquisition hasn’t been purely positive though, with many hardcore Heardle players angrily reporting the loss of their previously accumulated in-game stats and progress on social media.
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