Scrabble: Mattel launches a new, “less competitive” version of the game

Mattel will launch a new version of Scrabble that's designed to be more cooperative and accessible for those who find word games intimidating.

The new double-sided Scrabble board will still feature the original game for those who want to play the traditional version.

But the new game, on the other hand, will include help cards, use a simpler scoring system and will be faster to play.

The new board, Scrabble Together, will also allow people to compete in teams.

“We're playing the original game, but change is inevitable,” said Brandreth, who co-hosts the linguistics podcast Something Rhymes with Purple.

He added that the launch of the new version “does not negate the old version.”

“The makers of Scrabble have found that young people, from Generation Z, don't like the competitive nature of Scrabble, they want a game where you can simply enjoy the language and the words and be together and have fun making words,” he said.

In the new game, cards that provide help, prompts, and clues can be selected to match the player's chosen level of challenge.

“Scrabble has already stood the test of time as one of the most popular board games in history, and we want to ensure the game remains inclusive for all players,” said Ray Adler, vice president and global head of gaming at Mattel.

“For anyone who has ever thought, ‘Word games aren’t for me,’ or felt a little intimidated by the classic game, Scrabble Together mode is perfect.”

The new game differs from Scrabble Junior, which is closer to a crossword puzzle, which involves letters already on the board.

Mattel said the new board represents the first time in its 75-year history that Scrabble has made such a major change to its classic board.

“The game speaks to a trend in young people who want to avoid competitive games, and instead prefer teamwork and collaboration to achieve a fun goal together,” said Brett Smitheram, current UK number one and 2016 Scrabble World Champion.

The launch follows the huge popularity of online games such as Wordle, an online puzzle game owned by The New York Times where players try to guess a new five-letter word every day.