Six Design Lessons from the Success of Wordle: No Need To Reinvent The Wheel

Most successful ideas do not arrive out of nowhere; they’re extensions or riffs on existing ones.

This is particularly true with games, where tinkering with an existing form of play can create something that’s i) delightfully new while ii) also being familiar. That combo of “new” yet “familiar” is pure gold. Do something too derivative and people yawn; do something too novel and they’re baffled. The path to wild success is hitting that midpoint.