E3 2012: Scrabble finds its niche on Facebook, iOS and Android

Scrabble has been around for a long time on Facebook--like, about four years now. Unfortunately, the classic board game never morphed into the digital tour de force that EA hoped it would. Words With Friends filled that void rather nicely a year or two back, and still does to this day. The publisher slash developer looks to change that, however, with a cross-platform update.

Shown off-site during this week's E3 in Los Angeles, the new-and-improved Scrabble for Facebook is ready to go as of this writing for most players. There's more at play with this new rendition of Scrabble, namely stuff for the hardcore fans of the game on tabletops and elsewhere. Features like a new built-in dictionary (that doesn't effect your turn) and a list of all the eligible two-letter words in Scrabble only serve to up a player's game.

It's the way in which said game is tracked, however, that makes the experience true to the Scrabble phenomenon. For instance, Scrabble now tracks every move made and creates a log for players to consult whenever they please. As for social play, rankings are now displayed in everything from "Most Bingos" to "ELO", the standardized scoring system used for games such as chess and, of course, Scrabble.

You won't see stuff like this in your Words With Friends anytime soon. That wasn't even the point to begin with. Zynga's word game aims at an entirely different audience, one focused more on casual play and connecting with friends. While Scrabble is tailored to offer that experience to players, its strengths lie even more in serving the fans of Scrabble that have always been there ... and maybe those that felt it didn't have that edge offered by a sharp wooden tile.

The new-and-improved Scrabble is available now (for most) on Facebook, and updates that mirror these changes will hit the iOS and Android versions in the coming weeks. Maybe a new direction is just what Scrabble needs to reclaim (at least a leg of) its rightful throne.

[DL Image Credit: TG Daily]

Are you excited about the new Scrabble changes on Facebook? Is this what you had in mind when you first played? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.