After uproar over U.K. Scrabble edition allowing proper names, Hasbro says rules not changing

Scrabble fans can relax, rules aren’t changing

NEW YORK — Scrabble purists can relax. News of a new version of the classic word game that Mattel plans to sell in the U.K. allowing proper nouns set off waves of dismay across the Internet.

But the basic game isn’t changing.

Scrabble Trickster, due out in July in the U.K. only, not the U.S., will allow proper names such as city or celebrity names.

The executive director of the National Scrabble Association John D. Williams Jr. said the rules aren’t officially changing. He is authorized by Hasbro to speak about Scrabble. Hasbro owns the game in the U.S. and Mattel overseas.

Invented in 1938, more than 100 million sets of the Scrabble have been sold in 29 different languages, according to Mattel’s Web site.