scrabble posts (Subscribe to this feed)

EA to follow MySims Camera with Scrabble, Littlest Pet Shop on DSiWare

by JC Fletcher { Sep 21st 2009 at 3:30PM }

In case you think you want a camera app that adds MySims characters to your DSi photos, but aren't sure, EA sent a couple of screenshots of the app in action. It does pretty much what it says, though we didn't expect the MySims images to be so freely positionable.

Along with shots of MySims Camera and Sudoku, EA announced more upcoming DSiWare games. Littlest Pet Shop gets even littler on DSiWare, allowing you to collect and interact with pets, dress them up, and "throw a dance party for your pets and watch them groove to a cool song."

Scrabble will be released as several different apps including Scrabble Classic and Scrabble Tools, a Scrabble-themed vocabulary building game. Apparently, each Scrabble game will be a separate download.

Gallery: MySims Camera (DSiWare)

Joystiq interview: the EA/Hasbro game agreement

by Kevin Kelly { May 13th 2009 at 6:00PM }

When it comes to the realm of board games, Hasbro is quite the ... player. Over the past couple of decades, it has absorbed Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, Avalon Hill, Wizards of the Coast, Cranium, and others. Chances are that any board game, not to mention toys, you used to play with as a kid are now owned by Hasbro.

In 2007, Electronic Arts signed an exclusive agreement with Hasbro to produce games based on some of the items in its vaults, and so far we've seen Scrabble, Hasbro Family Game Night, Trivial Pursuit, and more. EA also just announced Hasbro Family Game Night 2 for the Wii and DS, due out later this fall, which will add Pictureka, Bop-It, Operation, Jenga and others to the mix.

But where are the titles like Risk, Axis & Allies, and Dark Tower? We spoke to Steve Flege, Senior Marketing Director for Hasbro Digital and Kyle Murray, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Electronic Arts about the deal, the first games we've seen, the pricing structure, and what's coming up next. The good news: we might be getting Risk on next-gen consoles. It's been on the PC, the PS1, the PS2, and the original Xbox, so it's about time. Roll those sixes!

Gallery: Hasbro Family Game Night: Xbox 360

Continued →

This Wednesday: Hasbro Family Game Night matches with XBLA

by Justin McElroy { Mar 17th 2009 at 10:30AM }

If you, like young Mikey, love matching rows of similarly colored checkers but can't stand being around other people and all their germs, your salvation will arrive this Wednesday in the form of Connect Four, one of the first offerings in Xbox Live's Hasbro Family Game Night series.

Other games arriving today include Scrabble, Yahtzee and Battleship with Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders coming later in the year. All the titles will be playable in a virtual game room that, in some way, incorporates Avatars. If you'd like to play beloved family games as you replace your friends and loved ones with digital simulacra, you can expect to pony up

800

($10) a piece. (Yeah, you read that right. A piece.)

Gallery: Hasbro Family Game Night: Xbox 360

Hasbro Family Games to release mid-March, include Avatar support

by Dustin Burg { Feb 25th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Nestled in a press release announcing the inclusion of Yahtzee in Hasbro Family Game Night (something we already knew) is confirmation that four Hasbro games will be releasing on Xbox Live Arcade sometime this March.

Scrabble, Connect Four, Battleship and Yahtzee will be the first four Hasbro titles made available when Xbox Live's special Family Game Night Destination launches next month. Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders will release later this year.

The press release also confirms Avatars will be supported and that each title can be purchased individually for 800

($10). If that wasn''t enough information, we're told the Family Game Night Destination lets players launch Hasbro games from their own customized game room. This uniquely decorated space accommodates Mr. Potato Head, can be shared with friends and sounds to be somewhat inspired by Home.

Gallery: Hasbro Family Game Night (XBLA)

Scrabble is XBLA bound, Hasbro channel coming soon

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 6th 2009 at 3:00PM }

After it was first rumored nearly a year ago (along with Monopoly), EA has announced that Scrabble is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. The company also announced the creation of a brand new Hasbro Family Game Night "channel" in Xbox Live Arcade. The channel will serve as a "digital game closet," according to EA Hasbro general manager Chip Lange, where players can quickly access various Hasbro games without leaving the channel. Players will be able to "earn virtual trophies, furniture and themes" to decorate their closets by playing Hasbro games. In addition to Scrabble, other titles planned for the service include Sorry!, Sorry! Sliders, Battleship, Connect Four, Boggle and Yahtzee.

The Hasbro Family Game Night channel is set to debut this spring, though no specific dates have been given for any of the individual game releases. Oh, one more thing: No Monopoly mentioned, folks. Sorry.

[Via Joystiq]

XBLA receiving Hasbro game channel; EA's Scrabble coming to handhelds, consoles

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 6th 2009 at 11:23AM }

Electronic Arts announced today that Scrabble will make its way to the DS and PSP in March, and to Xbox Live Arcade at a later date. Beginning in spring, XBLA will not only receive the perennial wordsmith board game, but also Boggle, Battleship, Yahtzee, Connect Four, Sorry! and Sorry!Sliders.

In a very interesting development, XBLA will also receive a branded "Hasbro Family Game Night" channel. Chip Lange, general manager of EA Hasbro, says it'll allow players to easily find family-friendly digital board games. We only wish that Microsoft would extend such a courtesy to the high-quality European board games that are also available on the service.

SCRABBLE coming to PSP in March

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 6th 2009 at 10:17AM }

The beloved crossword game is coming to handhelds in March, courtesy of EA. SCRABBLE will feature three gameplay modes, including: Classic, which offers traditional play; Speed, where players race the clock; and, the new SCRABBLE SLAM card game. In SLAM, players must make four letter words in an attempt to get rid of all their cards.

There will be six difficult levels, including a Training mode, which offers six training exercises. There will also be multiplayer features.

SCRABBLE is expected to retail for $30.

Gallery: SCRABBLE

Scrabulous suit dropped by Hasbro

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 16th 2008 at 10:40AM }

Hasbro has dropped its lawsuit against the creators of Facebook app. sensation Scrabulous. No reason was given in court documents as to why Hasbro dismissed its suit against the makers of the Scrabble clone, but a statement by the defendants reveals an "agreement" between the two parties "avoids potentially lengthy and costly litigations."

Electronic Arts has had an authorized Scrabble app. on Facebook since July. Mattel, which owns the rights to Scrabble outside North America, also currently has a lawsuit pending against the Scrabulous creators in its home country of India. There's currently no update of the status of that lawsuit.

[Via GamePolitics]

XBLA Quarrel mixes Risk, Scrabble and Countdown

by Dustin Burg { Dec 7th 2008 at 7:30PM }

Sometime soon, developer Denki has plans to release a new Xbox Live Arcade game called Quarrel. A game that's a blended mix of Risk, Scrabble and the UK game show Countdown.

To play, players try to capture and hold various territories (Risk) by competing in rounds of Countdown by spelling various words of different point values (Scrabble). Players will also have to strategically place "quarrelers" pieces on each territory, which will ultimately affect the territory's point value. Sound complicated? Sound fun? Sound Riskascrabblecountdown'riffic? Make the jump to read Square-Go's early Quarrel impressions.

[Via Joystiq]

XBLA's Quarrel will Countdown to a Risky Scrabble

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 7th 2008 at 2:00PM }

Denki, the Dundee-based developer behind the well-received GBA puzzler Denki Blocks, might just be the Girl Talk of board game mash-ups. Their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title, Quarrel, is an amalgam of three "off-the-grid" titles: Risk, Scrabble and Countdown (a popular UK game show). The game, which is Denki's first title in seven years, is reportedly about a year away -- but gaming news site Square-Go got their hands on an early build of Quarrel in order to see just how these three great tastes taste together.

The main objective of the game is to gain control of territories (in Risk-esque fashion). Skirmishes between players are hashed out in a round of Countdown, where players make words out of tiles, which are assigned different point values (ala Scrabble). Further strategy includes managing the number of "quarrelers" you have stationed at a particular territory -- more quarrelers means more tiles with which to form longer, point-garnering words. A game where vocabulary, not physical prowess, dictates strength? It's a pulchritudinous dream come true!

[Via GamerBytes]

Scrabulous disabled for US, Canadian Facebook users

by Ross Miller { Jul 29th 2008 at 12:15PM }

Hoping to make a comeback with that 365-point quixotry play in Scrabulous? US and Canadian Facebook users were likely dismayed to find out this week that Scrabulous has been disabled. The region-specific lock likely has to do with Hasbro's license for all Scrabble video games, which is for US and Canada only (Mattel owns the rights for the rest of the world). In the interim, you can always play the official Scrabble Facebook app care of Electronic Arts, although it lacks the panache of the seemingly now-defunct Scrabulous.

[Thanks, Andrew B]

EA launches Scrabble on Pogo, coming to Facebook this month

by Ross Miller { Jul 7th 2008 at 5:57PM }

Electronic Arts is looking to take on the biggest Scrabble clone on Facebook with -- what else? -- an officially licensed version of Scrabble. A free online edition of of the bombastic board game is available now on Pogo, with a Facebook version coming "later this month," according a press release. The application would go up against reigning champ Scrabulous, which despite litigation threats is still alive and kicking.

The press release also confirmed that "many more Hasbro game properties in development and slated to launch on social networking sites later this year." Boggle knockoffs, beware!

Official Scrabble app 'launches' on Facebook, unplayable in North America

by Scott Jon Siegel { Apr 8th 2008 at 9:00PM }

The official Scrabble Facebook application has recently launched, but don't expect the Scrabulous boys to be shaking in their word-savvy boots anytime soon. Copyright issues prevent the game from being played in the US and Canada, and numerous game-breaking bugs make it only slightly more playable everywhere else.

The region-locking is due to the confusing state of Scrabble's international copyright. In the majority of the world, toy manufacturer Mattel owns the rights to the game, but in North America, that honor goes to Hasbro. Everything would be honky dory with the Facebook version, except that EA already has an agreement with Hasbro to distribute digital versions of their titles, which the RealNetworks-developed Facebook app would be in breach of if Scrabble were playable in North America.

Fortunately, North Americans apparently aren't missing much: the game is currently suffering from the "beta blues", with its woefully-small user base already up in arms on the discussion boards over some usability issues, as well as the system's penchant for deleting in-progress games. Nothing beats the real thing, right?

[Via Purple Pawn]

Rumor: EA brings Monopoly & Scrabble to XBLA

by Xav de Matos { Feb 12th 2008 at 4:15PM }

360Sync.com noticed some interesting language from an EA press release earlier today, specifically the line:

"EA also is developing new Monopoly and Scrabble ®(in North America) titles for multiple platforms, as well as other titles that will be announced later this year."

Wait a second, could that mean that EA will be bringing Monopoly and Scrabble to XBLA? While no one is talking, we think it would be an amazing idea. Seriously people, Monopoly on Live is teh hotness.

[Thanks, xenocidic]

EA to bring Hasbro to your DS

by David Hinkle { Feb 11th 2008 at 2:15PM }

For those of you who find themselves enjoying board games, but would like considerable less board in there, know that EA has announced that several Hasbro properties will be turned into games by the publishing powerhouse. No longer will your games of Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit be confined to the Monday night get-together at your neighbor's house, as you'll soon be able to enjoy these games without your "friends."

The titles currently in the works are:

Littlest Pet Shop (DS, Wii, PC) - fall
NERF "N-Strike" (Wii, DS) - fall

Looking over the rest of the list for titles releasing on mobile phones and to EA's online POGO portal, we're wondering why the DS is getting the shaft. Monopoly, Yahtzee and Scrabble are all releasing on mobile phones and via POGO, but where's the DS love? All we get are these two games? We hope this changes ...

[Via Joystiq]