The way we use words is changing, and so is Scrabble, which has, for the first time in its 75-year history, unveiled a second side to the classic game.
Yes, we promise it’s a real thing (Google it).
Every year, 13 April marks National Scrabble Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the beloved word game played all around the world, triple word scores and all. It also commemorates the birth of Alfred Mosher Butts, who developed the word game amid the Great Depression in 1938.
The amateur artist and unemployed architect initially named it ‘Lexiko’ and later ‘Criss-Cross Words’ before finally arriving at the name that wordsmiths across the world have come to love – triple word scores and all.
But we digress. For the first time in 75 years, Scrabble has made a significant change to the classic with the introduction of Scrabble Together Mode: A cooperative, faster-paced, and more casual version.
The new way of playing will now be included in every copy of the game, so you get double the fun with two games in one. Simply flip the board over and pick up the deck of Goal cards included in the game to get started with the Scrabble Together Mode.
Designed with inclusivity and collaboration in mind, Scrabble Together Mode allows players to work as a team to complete goal cards at their chosen challenge level, with helper cards to encourage players throughout the game.
Scrabble Together Mode also offers a quicker game with simple scoring. The double-sided board allows people to pick and choose their gameplay to suit, whether they want a speedy co-operative game, or would prefer to settle in and kick the competition up a notch with the original version.
From longstanding Scrabble fans who want to try an exciting new version of the game they know and love, to people completely new to word games, Scrabble Together Mode amps up the fun for wordsmiths and amateurs alike, while also giving players the practice and confidence to give Classic Scrabble a go, if and when they want to.
Scrabble Together Mode is designed to help new generations fall in love with words, at a time when, according to Stats SA, the illiteracy rate from 2021 is 3.3%.
The new Scrabble Together Mode is available to purchase at leading retailers nationwide.
Written by Tauhira Ajam
