A new version of Scrabble aims to make the word-building game more accessible
NEW YORK — Scrabble is getting a little makeover, at least in Europe.
Mattel has unveiled a double-sided board featuring both the classic word game and Scrabble Together, a new version designed to be accessible “to anyone who finds word games intimidating.”
This new version, which is now available across Europe, is advertised as being more team-oriented and faster to play. The update marks the first major change in Scrabble’s governance in more than 75 years, Mattel said Tuesday.
“We want to ensure the game remains inclusive for all players,” Ray Adler, vice president and global head of games at Mattel, said in a prepared statement, noting that consumers can still choose between the classic game and the new version . .
In an effort to expand their reach, toy companies have for years rolled out alternative or simplified ways to play board games, ranging from “junior” editions made for younger children to multiple sets of instructions that players can choose from for increasing difficulty.
Scrabble Together is marketed to players of all ages. Jim Silver, toy industry expert and CEO of review site TTPM, said the double-sided board is a smart approach because it allows players to switch from one mode to another at will.
Mattel’s announcement was also accompanied by a survey that offered a glimpse into some of the ways UK consumers have previously interacted with classic Scrabble. London-based market researcher Opinion Matters found that 75% of British adults aged 25 to 34 have searched for a word during the board-and-tiles game to check if it is real. And almost half (49%) said they tried to come up with a new word in hopes of winning.
Whether the new version will one day expand beyond Europe remains to be seen. For example, while Mattel, based in El Segundo, California, owns the rights to Scrabble in much of the world, Hasbro licenses the game in the US.
“Mattel and Hasbro have worked separately to develop different versions of Scrabble each year,” Silver said. As a result, some versions are only available in certain countries, creating an “interesting dynamic” for avid fans of the game, he added.
A spokesperson for Hasbro, based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, confirmed to The Associated Press via email on Tuesday that the company currently has no plans to roll out the European updates for Scrabble in the US.
The origins of Scrabble date back to 1931, when American architect Alfred Mosher Butts invented the game’s predecessor. Scrabble’s original name was “Lexiko,” according to a Mattel fact sheet, and before it was officially titled and trademarked Scrabble in 1948, Butts’ creation was also called “Criss-Crosswords,” “It” and “Alph.”
Today, Scrabble is produced in 28 different languages. According to Mattel, more than 165 million games have been sold in 120 countries around the world since 1948, with an average of 1.5 million games sold worldwide per year.
In addition to the decades-old Scrabble fanbase, other word games have exploded in popularity in recent years, including Bananagrams and the online guessing game Wordle.