Scrabble releases new inclusive version of board game – but not in America

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Scrabble is getting an inclusive makeover.

Mattel has unveiled a double-sided board that options each the basic word-building game and Scrabble Together, a new rendition designed to be accessible “for anybody who finds phrase video games intimidating.”

This new version, which is now available across Europe, is advertised as being more team-oriented and quicker to play. The update marks the first significant change to Scrabble’s board in more than 75 years, Mattel said on Tuesday.

“We want to ensure the game continues to be inclusive for all players,” Ray Adler, vice president and global head of games at Mattel said in a prepared statement, noting that consumers will still be able to choose between the classic game and new version.

Seeking to expand their reach, toy companies have rolled out alternative or simplified ways to play board games for years, ranging from “junior” editions made for younger children to multiple sets of instructions that players can opt into for increasing difficulty.

Scrabble Together is marketed toward players of all ages. Jim Silver, a 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 as they wish.

Mattel’s announcement was also accompanied by a survey that offered a glimpse into some of the ways British consumers have previously tackled classic Scrabble. London-based market researcher Opinion Matters found that 75% of adults aged 25 to 34 have searched a word when playing the board-and-tile game to check if it’s real. And almost half (49%) reported trying to make up a new word in hopes of winning.

Whether the new version will expand beyond Europe one day remains to be seen. While Mattel, which is based in El Segundo, California, owns the rights to Scrabble around much of the world, Hasbro licenses the game in the U.S., for instance.

“Mattel and Hasbro have worked separately to develop different versions of Scrabble every year,” Silver said. As a result, some versions are only available in certain countries, creating an “interesting dynamic” for avid followers of the game, he added.

A spokesperson for Hasbro, which is predicated in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, mentioned that the corporate at present has no plans to roll out the European updates to Scrabble in the US.

Scrabble’s origins date again to 1931, when American architect Alfred Mosher Butts invented the game’s forerunner. Scrabble’s authentic identify was “Lexiko,” in line with a Mattel factsheet, and earlier than formally getting the Scrabble title and trademark in 1948, Butts’ creation was additionally known as “Criss-Crosswords,” “It” and “Alph.”

Today, Scrabble is produced in 28 completely different languages. More than 165 million video games have been bought in 120 nations world wide since 1948, in line with Mattel, with a mean of 1.5 million video games bought globally annually.