Spotify has acquired the viral music game Heardle for an undisclosed amount, the company has announced.
The game, a spin-off of Wordle in which people must try to identify the song of the day based on increasingly lengthy snippets, was originally launched in March of this year. A press release announcing Spotify’s acquisition of Heardle said it will only be available to play in the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for the time being, and that it will remain free to play in those territories. While the game will remain as a standalone feature on its own website, players will also now be given the option of listening to the full song of the day via Spotify when they have correctly identified it.
While the game will only be available to play to people in the above-mentioned regions, Spotify’s press release said that "hundreds of millions more people around the world will have the opportunity to play and enjoy the game in their native language" sometime in the future. The company is also looking at other ways to integrate the game into the streaming platform "to allow music lovers to connect more deeply with artists and challenge friends."
In a statement, Spotify’s Global Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, said: "We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans. 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."
Find out more about the acquisition via Spotify’s website.
