B-A-D B-R-A-N-D M-O-V-E (23 Points)
See, this is called bad brand forethought. And anyone will tell you the same thing.
Facebook is saying the decision was made by the Scrabulous developers, not Hasbro or Facebook. Of course it was! If you’re facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit, you’d shut down, too.
Why Hasbro took this route, similar to Fox shutting down Simpsons fan sites back in the late 90s, is beyond me. Why not just work with them? It would generate a hell of a lot more goodwill, make Hasbro beloved, let them both share in the ad revenue, and hey, I bet even get more people to buy the physical version of the game.
Sigh. Stop listening to the lawyers, Hasbro. For once.
67 Responses to “B-A-D B-R-A-N-D M-O-V-E (23 Points)”
If you want to play scrabble online with real people who can give you a run for your (proverbial) money in American or English English, French or Romanian, go to http://www.isc.ro. And if you want to know why scrabble tourneys, etc., are ridiculously underfunded (compared to chess and soduku, for example) read Stephan Fatsis’ “Word Freak.”
At least it’s not like the dismal days when Coleco owned scrabble but was bizzy bizzy bizzy with their darling cabbage patch kids.
If Hasbro had the foresight to wait until their buggy, unplayable version of Scrabble for Facebook was ready for prime time, part of me would understand this move. However, those of us who played Scrabulous regularly now have no alternative, as the Hasbro version absolutely sucks! I’ll be looking elsewhere to get my Scrabble fix from now on…won’t indulge Hasbro’s greed by using their worthless Facebook app. Why not just BUY the Scrabulous app and rebrand it? I understand that they think they’re protecting their intellectual property, but isn’t goodwill worth paying a price for?
I AGREE! As a freelancer who works from home with no one for company but my dogs, I was delighted to discover I could play Scrabble online with my husband and two friends, all of whom owned their own businesses and looked forward to their turn as much as I did. We frequently played the game physically, and getting to play a couple of times a day was fun and broke up the motonoy of work. Now that the site is down and our fun has ended (and we’re all back to online solitaire), I get upset every time I pull out my actual Scrabble game or catch a glimpse of my Scrabble dictionary. Bad, bad Hasbro! You’ve definitely pissed off more than a few loyal fans.
well I will certainly get more one now!
This is insane!!! Scrabulous has become a very valuable vocabulary-building tool, positively vital for the good of my career.
Who am I kidding? It just makes the day nicer. Now I actually have to work.
Peter, I couldn’t agree with you more. I heard somewhere that Hasbro has only seen an uptick in Scrabble game sales lately because of the huge interest Scrabulous sparked (basically introducing tons of people to Scrabble who may have never played before). Instead of shutting them down, Hasbro should have bought out the 2 brilliant guys who started Scrabulous, given them an award, and then promoted them to head a new division that could take other “old” games and reinvigorate them for the digital world! (You should also note that you can still play Scrabulous on the old Scrabulous site — scrabulous dot com.)
I totally agree! But actually Scrabulous got new players from the lawsuit–I never tried it till I read they were being sued. (Later I wound up switching to http://www.isc.ro, which is even better IMHO).
They should have followed suit of YouTube and EMI. If an offender is found they are given the option of either including branding from the rightful copyright holder or they can remove it. Hasbro could have benefited _bigtime_ instead of just cutting it off. They are losing out a major traffic opportunity.
-a
As an adult, the only time I played Scrabble was on Scrabulous. While the .com site is still up and running, the Facebook site was easier to connect to people with. Now that I am refreshed, just like you said, I bet I’ll be more likely to buy the board game in the next year or so. Hopefully the online outcry will open some eyes.
I agree 100%.
I’ve been following the news coverage of this since I’m a Scrabulous fan.
Yes, and it took Hasbro forever to develop a product similar to the one a couple brothers turned out months ago. Now Hasbro’s FB application isn’t even working. *sigh*
Too many lawyers involved.
I completely agree. And I will miss Scrabulous way more than I probably should considering I have a job and a life. Best thing to happen to facebook since, well, facebook. A good replacement, however, is Text Twist.
I was so upset! If anything it was bringing attention BACK to the brand. I was never a scrabble player until the Facebook version came out. Now that the brand has my attention, I am disappointed. Bad, bad move. Like you said, they could have worked out a deal.
Dumb, dumb move. Hasbro could have become heroes by working out a deal with these Scrabulous geniuses. I tried using the Scrabble Beta on FB (yes, I’m addicted) and it’s horribly clunky compared to Scrabulous. The one upside to this? (Aside from my increased productivity?)…..my stats are wiped clean and I can start anew!
Oh noooo! I love Scrabulous… Terrible brand move; I agree.
And Peter, if it comes back to facebook, you are ON.
Unbelievable. Didn’t these people learn anything from the whole music industry / Napster thing? I already miss Scrabulous tremendously - hell, I even met one of my clients via a Scrabulous introduction on Facebook - but am refusing on principle to play the “sanctioned” version until and unless Hasbro makes up and plays nicely.
It’s probably a function of being too big to really pay attention, Peter. I doubt anyone in Executive Management at Hasbro has a Facebook account. Most of them probably had to be briefed on what it is when they were told there was a copyright infringement. IF they were told. More likely, it was a short line item in the agenda and they all just voted to let corporate counsel handle it the same as any other infringement. It’s branding stupidity, but first and foremost, it’s social media ignorance.
For every threatening attorney, there’s one to answer the complaint. The problem only arises when it comes to one’s feelings over one’s bank account.
Just like “Free speech isn’t free” (it costs to defend after you get sued) it really comes down down to one’s beliefs…and wallet.
For a game that a whole bunch of people probably wouldn’t even play were it not for Scrabulous, you’d think Hasbro would figure that taking advantage of the existing user base would be smarter than launching their own…
I, too, was threatened by Hasbro’s lawyers, over my “Get Out of Hell Free” cards. But I refused to cave, and they backed off. The full story is at http://www.thisistrue.com/hasbro.html
I’m not saying that everyone can ignore lawyer letters (far from it!), but if you can show you’re in the right, it IS possible to prevail.
My understanding is that Hasbro (as well as a few other IP holders tied to the Scrabble brand) tried to negotiate with the app developers; however, they kept pushing for more money. The Agarwall brothers may have thought they could use their Facebook popularity to strong-arm Hasbro, but it sounds like the plan backfired.
Well, if they made their own scrabble app for facebook, I don’t really see why this is such a big deal. Then again, I don’t really use facebook much. It seems like all the glory of web 2.0 is all about finding lots of superficial ways to waste time and communicate with people, further ensuring that no deep communication or serious thought takes place.
Of course, if I were wealthy and in charge of something like Facebook, I’d do everything I could to keep people distracted and from using critical thought as well. Those poor people might realize they’re poor!
I have to disagree with you on this.
It’s my understanding that Hasbro tried to buy Scrabulous out, but the Scrabulous people either refused or wanted a ridiculous amount of money. Additionally, I hear that Hasbro is putting out a replacement for Scrabulous that will work on Facebook.
If I indeed have my facts straight (I’ll admit that I haven’t done searches to find articles to back up what I’ve heard … I just remember a discussion on CNET’s Buzz Out Loud podcast about this) then I don’t see that Hasbro had much choice. They’re protecting a brand.
I don’t think this is at all the same as FOX shutting down Simpsons fan sites. That was utterly ridiculous. Those websites were proclaiming the owners’ love of the TV show. Scrabulous is an exact replica of a game to which Hasbro owns the rights. The only way the two examples would be comparable is if FOX managed to shut down an online animated series that featured stories about a family with yellow skin that included an overweight dolt of a father, an intellectual daughter, a doting mother with tall blue hair, and a delinquent son with pointy hair.
I, for one, am very upset about the shutdown of Scrabulous. I had three games going on when they closed it down! However, I will probably be more productive at work, have more time to answer e-mails and do things that I should be doing as opposed to playing Scrabulous. To the powers that be at Facebook, please, oh please do NOT shut down Word Twist
I just realized that Scrabulous is still available to play for free on their web site… is it really that big of a deal that it’s not on Facebook?
I guess I’m missing something…
Completely agree. Hasbro’s attempts at both desktop and online Scrabble have not been up to par and never caught on. Now they’ve been given the -gift- of a version that is addictive and bringing in a new generation of Scrabblers and they’re tossing it out. Yeah, it’s a gift that violates their copyright, but smart people should’ve been able to work that out to their (and our) advantage.
No beer and no scrabulous make Kevin go something something.
I never played Scrabulous on Facebook. I only ever played it on their Web site, http://www.scrabulous.com, which seems like it’s still up and running. Maybe it’s hosted in a foreign country, so Hasbro can’t shut it down? In any case, anyone who needs a Scrabulous fix may want to check out the site. Boo, Hasbro! Go, Scrabulous!
Ditto. I played scrabulous with my middle school-age sister and she liked it so much that she asked our parents to buy her the actual Scrabble boardgame. That never would’ve happened if she wasn’t first introduced to the concept on a platform she already likes. I wonder how many similar sales will be negated in the future. Dumb move, Hasbro.
First, I didn’t know Hasbro was still in business.
Second, I am shocked *they* aren’t trying to get into the online space more.
Third, I wonder if Hasbro must hire the same lawyers as the RIAA.
Did Scrabulous make a Scrabble clone? Yeah. Did they break the law? Probably…
But how much more 20th century can you get than holding to the belief that INFORMATION and IDEAS CAN NOT be shared?
How many thousands (millions?) of people have purchased Scrabble in the last year since Scrabulous came out and people were (re)introduced to the game? Sadly, the world may never know.
Oh well. Back to Scrabulous.com…
Big brands don’t get it! This is on par, IMHO, with the NY Times sticking its coverage of the 1000 attendee Blogher event on the ‘fashion’ page, because, after all, women blogging…that’s all about fashion, right? (the kudos they’re getting from some don’t sit well with me - I’m tired of being labelled pink because of my gender).
How about BMW’s Greek advertising agency putting out the soft-core porn ad of a tantilizing young girl with the caption, “You know you’re not the first” for its used cars. It’s Greece, they don’t care about exploiting kids! Why should we?
Brands are first and foremost true to themselves and their image - Hasbro can’t allow the rifraff to tarnish its name…and make it look bad by creating a user-generated, interactive version without allowing them to charge for it. The NY Times knows its market well - women want fashion, not real news or technology. (huh? not this woman!) And BMW, well…that’s a car for dirty old men. So their Greek ad seems to say. The young men oogling that teenaged girl can’t afford a BMW!
Even in today’s interactive, UGC world, big brands are holding on to the idea that they rule. The lawyers are probably suffering migraines over this.
Meanwhile, someone, somewhere is figuring out how to get around Hasbro. Believe it.
Well put. Do we know if Hasbro did, in fact, extend an offer to purchase and/or partner w/ scrabulous, or was it simply hardball lawyer-style? Prediction: the burgeoning groundswell against Hasbro will cost them far more than the brand “equity” the claim to be protecting. The rules have changed. Old companies must now become pioneers, if they remember how.
Completely agree that this was a huge mistake. I’m a huge Scrabulous user and considered trying Scrabble on Facebook … now I won’t ever try it. Never
You’re absolutely right! Take your bet-wimmings and go directly to the bank.
Believe it or not, I had never, ever played the “real” Scrabble until I was in my 40s. (Embarrassing, I know, but I’m willing to admit shortcomings)
After stumbling on Scrabulous in late 2007, I started played with friends in another country for a few weeks. The whaddya know?
Had so much fun that I purchased the “real” Scrabble. One for home. One for the beach. One for my mom. And travel versions for each car!
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Cheers,
Donna B. in Atlanta
Peter, I am so upset that Hasbro refused to work out a deal with Scrabulous to keep the service on Facebook. The corporation is starting so far behind in the public good will department that it is just unphathomable that they would not take this fairly simple opportunity to gain positive press and market their product to one of the most dedicated and loyal audience ever handed to a company on a platter. Just a compleat lack of creative thinking. It’s their concious choice to be the evil empire rather than join the alliance.
I’m an indie board game publisher an award winning game called GiftTRAP
http://www.gifttrap.com/
I’d be happy if someone was creating half a million conversations about my brand every day.
I’ve created my own Facebook app to promote my game about exchanging virtual gifts a bit like Secret Santa, so I have total respect for the Scrabulous guys.
http://apps.new.facebook.com/gifttrap/
Creating a loyal following like Scrabulous is an impressive achievement, and something I doubt that Hasbro/Mattel will recreate, especially when their efforts divide the globe. This is so “old school” and so “lawyer-driven”
Scrabulous was “edgy” because of it’s obvious illegality and in support of the small guy. Official Hasbro/Mattel versions is just dull and not conversation worthy.
Hasbro and Mattel have benefited from sales increases due to the born again popularity of their cash-cow game. They sell over a million copies a year when really nobody really needs another copy (just dust down your old one).
What would they have paid a PR firm to generate this much noise?
This is just insane. Dealing with a beast with two heads can’t be easy. The split ownership of rights makes it very hard. There’s twice as many egos, twice as many big suits to please and a complicated pie to divide.
I can’t think of any other major pieces of IP that are split between the two dominant players in the market.
I’m sure word games are seeing a resurgence as a result of Scrabulous. I know Bananagrams is selling well in stores and they are about to release a Facebook app, no doubt to try and grab a bunch of Scrabulous users.
Bananagrams must be kicking themselves for not having their app ready by now.
GiftTRAP is on sale in Barnes and Noble right now which is pretty cool (no doubt next to Scrabble and Bananagrams). It’s selling well, but I’d take the 500k conversation a day anytime.
In the mean time we keep collecting more awards like being voted “Best Party Game” by both Games Magazine and Creative Child Magazine.
I totally get the need to protect the brand. It is a knock-off, but a fabulous one. Hasbro should be both flattered by it and chagrined that their folks didn’t do it first. How they couldn’t come to terms, though, is shocking. Could the Scrabulous folks be holding out for too much m-o-n-e-y?
Peter:
For starters you can still play Scrabulous at scrabulous.com (unless Hasbro will soon be taking over that URL, too) so it being gone from Facebook doesn’t mean your productivity will go up automatically!
Second, I’m sorry but I respectfully disagree with you about this being a bad marketing strategy on Hasbro’s part. This has nothing to do with marketing and everything to do with proprietary information. A company has co-opted Hasbro’s game and made it its own. If anything the Scrabulous founders should have worked something out with Hasbro ahead of time instead of taking the “Internet is for the good of man so everything should be free and available to everyone” approach. As a content producer, sure I like “exposure” but when someone uses something of mine that I’ve developed, more than exposure, I wanted to be compensated. And if they don’t even ask permission first, well, then, there’s something called Copyright Registration that I can use to work things out.
Don’t get me wrong–I love Scrabulous and will be heart broken if my husband and I can no longer play each other online (while sitting in the same room, but that’s another story). And I hope that Scrabulous and Hasbro can work something out. But I’m not surprised that Hasbro made this move, and I think that the company has every right to do so.
You may start flaming me with lettered, wooden tiles now.
Leah
I’m so M-A-D at Hasbro. I agree with you, Peter, that they could and should have worked out a deal. Maybe thrown the little guys some money or given them J-O-B-S for being so creative and let it go. Boo hoo.
But I’m also with you… I’ll have a lot more time in my day now.
I don’t disagree with you, Leah. I create IP and work with artists who do so, and understand that Hasbro is entitled to and needs to assert its rights. My objection, as both a consumer and marketer, is that instead of finding a way to bring the 500K+ (or however many) daily Facebook/Scrabulous players into their fold with warm fuzzies and open arms, they’ve now alienated us instead. As Peter points out, they’ve managed things badly. Hence my original comment about wanting them to play nicely :).
Peter,
I’m sorry, but I have to go with Leah on this one. It’s stealing, in the purest sense of the word. I don’t really think it lines up with Fox and fan sites for the Simpsons, as the fan sites weren’t producing their own show, also called the Simpsons, and trying to farm it out to ABC, CBS and NBC. Exposure is great, but this is theft.
On another note…dude, 143 messages in your inbox? Maybe it’s a good thing Scrabulous went down in flames.
Jennifer
“Why not just work with them?”
They tried. They offered millions to the Agarwalla brothers, but the brothers wanted TENS of millions. Check it:
http://www.alleyinsider.com/20.....nag__money
I have mixed feelings about this. From a brand perspective, Scrabulous ‘felt’ like Scrabble. I’m so old school that I hadn’t even realized that new Scrabble sets have a radically different look (I’m playing on an old board inherited from my parents.) Did Hasbro/Parker Brothers choose to redesign the classic board? What a mistake.
Yet Scrabulous did infringe on the Scrabble brand, so it makes sense that Hasbro would issue a cease and desist. I’d do the same.
Scrabulous was a great way to reconnect with old friends on Facebook. And until I transferred my addiction to BubbleWords, I was playing up to 17 games at a time. So I feel your pain, Peter.
To be honest, now that Leah has let us all know scrabulous.com is still operational, I’m going there for my Scrabble fix. The old board is like drinking hot cocoa on a night when you can’t sleep - it’s soothing. Scrabble’s official new board is like nails on a chalkboard. I can’t pay attention because I’m so irritated.
I actually wrote about a month ago about how we can learn from this situation and make it a proactive strategy. (http://www.amrresearch.com/Content/View.asp?pmillid=21600 )Hasbro should be thanking Scrabulous up and down. Do you think if Hasbro had set out on this path that Scrabble would have been the #1 or 2 game on Facebook?? I sincerely doubt it. It will be interesting to me to see how many people migrate to the “sanctioned” version of the game vs. find alternative games to play. It would have been much more prudent, and ultimately probably cost-effective, for Hasbro to have done a deal with the brothers than to have pursued this course. Penny-wise, perhaps; pound-foolish for sure.
Ouch! It`s a double edge sword. While I can understand from a branding standpoint, to want to protect your brand, it is also brand propagation and exposure such as this that creates awareness, thus generating sales, no? It`s sad when giants fight…
I agree also with the determination and commitment Hasbro has and it’s decision.
Sometimes and often in business we have to make big decisions that some just wont agree with.
It’s the users on Facebook that matter. It’s so quick for people to adopt it - registration to yet another website stops most people in their tracks.
Hasbro had to acquire or close it down just to be seen to protecting their IP. Failure to do so could be made future actions for other games harder to defend.
I just believe everyone could have tried a little harder to find a “price” and a “deal” that allowed Scrabulous to live as was. It must be hard when sites like adonomics,com is telling you just what app business is worth.
I totally agree with the response from Leah on the legalities of proprietary content and copyright that should apply whether it’s a Facebook app or any other useage. But Hasbro made a big PR mistake here and a pretty elementary one at that. They could have (should have) done what they needed to in order to protect their copyrights without the word lawsuit entering into the conversation. As it stands, while I appreciate Hasbro’s position, now I’m just playing less Scrabble and how does that ultimately really help them?
Yes, it would have been nice if these two companies could “work it out,” but I’m gonna have to side w/ Hasbro on this one too. Buck up though Peter, I’m sure you can find a new FB time-waster in no time at all. Have you tried Scramble or Packrat?
I agree with you Leah. Creators and “content producers” must take steps to protect copyrighted material or else they lose ground in many areas. Who gets to say “stop, here’s the line”? The creator.
Yes, they could work with the developer… do we know definitely that they haven’t tried?
I think Fox vs their fan sites is a straw man argument for this instance of someone protecting what is theirs to protect; it’s not the monetizing of the brand but the control of the brand and doing what is right and fair in the marketplace; I hate to think someone will out HARO you just because they can and have the money, skills and technology to deliver a “better” product than your original “eureka” idea, but it’s more legally available than what Scabelicious did to the Scrabble brand.
I’m with you man… reminds me of the SNL lawyers getting “Lazy Sunday” yanked offline cause it wasn’t authorized, and this “Internet” things is giving them the hebbee-jeebees.
Scrabolous revived a dormant brand/game and introduced it to a whole new generation.
They took something of value, made it free and made it better, yet it gets fought tooth and nail instead of using it to their advantage… oh wait… it sounds like ProfNet: board game version!
Here’s the thing: I had about five games going on when it shut down. And I was finally, FINALLY winning against my toughest opponent! I have a whole network of friends, family and colleagues who Scrabulous’ed. Some have gone to check out the official site this morning, declared it horrid, and decided no Scrabble is better than a bad application. So I agree — very bad marketing move, even though, yes, they had the right. Maybe they can now come to some kind of agreement, but frankly, Scrabulous was an improvement on the original, so whatever deal they strike should involve use of the Facebook application.
Now I need something else to accompany that first cup of coffee in the morning…
Here is the fundamental issue: the company does not own the brand. They own the copyrights to naming and (in some cases) ideas. They are the curators of the brand — the image and the message behind these copyrights and ideas. Ultimately, a company’s ability to interact with its consumers is really the bottom line. On one hand you can say that Hasbro was protecting its brand because it owns the name and the idea. However — and a big however — we aren’t simply talking about copyrights and ownership here. This is an issue of a company getting greedy and — as a result — tainting a perfectly good brand by angering the brand ambassadors (its consumers). While I am not suggesting that we as consumers are entitled to the freedom to use copyrighted ideas and logos at will, I am suggesting that companies need to be aware that consumers — now more than ever — are out there promoting (or not promoting — whatever the case may be) brands and the companies behind them. Bad move, Hasbro.
I’ve always found your intros funny, creative and I think what you’ve done with HARO is great, but I have to respectfully disagree on this one. There are certainly ways that fan sites like those for Star Wars and Harry Potter have helped the brands, but this isn’t people discussing, professing their love of a brand (or game) or even fan created content; it is simply someone taking something created by someone else and giving it away. It’s the same thing as going into a theater with a camera, filming a movie and putting it up on the web for free. Or downloading music without paying. I know it doesn’t SEEM like it’s hurting anyone but a big, bad company, but as a writer (both for film and books) it actually takes money out of real people’s pockets. I’m certainly not perfect, but one of the things that we, as influencers, have to see these issues objectively and guide both the public and the rights holders toward a solution. It’s being a Kill Joy and perhaps uncool to say the truth, it’s stealing. But it is. Imagine it this way, if some great campaign you created for a company (or your own company) or article you wrote was plagiarized, used somewhere else, where someone else took the credit for it, just how pissed off would you be? It’s happened to me. And I certainly didn’t like it. What we really need to get upset about (and do something about) is that companies keep pushing Congress and international groups to lengthen the copyright laws (now at 95 years up from 14 years a hundred years ago). We need something more fair. Something that’s a balance between this idea (that’s come about because of the internet and high-speed access) that everything is “free” and rights holders (usually corporate rights holders) attempt to indefinitely prolong the time before copyrighted material goes into the public domain. Both are very, very bad ideas. For creativity, for business, for innovation. I really do respect what you’ve done, but perhaps the withdrawal symptoms clouded your judgement. There’s probably a 12-step support group already formed on Facebook for Scrabulholics.
ejs
I love Scrabulous, but you know, I’ve never played it on Facebook, just at Scrabulous.com. And I’d heard quite some time ago that Hasbro was shutting them down — over a year ago — but they negotiated a deal and Hasbro dropped the cease and desist order.
So, I guess all’s not well. But I can’t blame Hasbro for playing hard ball to protect its brand and intellectual property. With this ‘change of heart,’ I also think it’s entirely possible that the Scrabulous guys haven’t been playing fair to draw Hasbro’s ire again. (You know sometimes David and not Goliath is the bad guy, though it’s a better story when it’s the other way around.)
P.S. If Scrabulous goes down, I will not be able to play my mother in Canada. I would miss that; not the ass-whooping she gives me with those triple word score outta sight moves, but just the connection we’re able to maintain nearly daily despite the distance between us.
I really do appreciate the amazing job you’ve done with HARO, but I have to respectfully have to disagree on this issue. There are many instances where fan created content can help promote a brand. Star Wars and Harry Potter fan sites are obvious examples. But this isn’t a group of people discussing or professing their love of a brand (Scrabble), it’s someone taking something that someone else created, coding it for the masses and giving it away for free. It’s like taking a camera into a theater, filming the latest blockbuster and putting it up on the web for free. Or downloading music without paying for it. I know it may SEEM like it doesn’t hurt anyone except many a big, bad, greedy company, but as a writer of both books and film I know that these things hurt real people. I’m certainly not perfect, but what we, as influencers, must do is help the general public see these for what they are. It may be a Kill Joy, it may be uncool to say it’s stealing. But it is. Imagine it this way, what if you created a stunning campaign for a company (or your own company) or wrote a great article and someone just lifted the idea, the wording or even the entire campaign or article and took create for it. Just how pissed would you be? It’s happened to me. I wasn’t happy. What we really need to get angry about (and protest) is the fact that large corporations have pushed Congress and international bodies to extend copyright protection to 95 years up from 14 years in the early 1900s. Every time Mickey Mouse gets close to being in the public domain, Disney gets an extra 20 years. We need to find a balance between the idea (fostered by the internet and high-speed access) that everything is “free” and the desire companies have to indefinitely prolong copyright protections. Neither of these views is good for creativity, for business, or for innovation. And in the end, that’s not good for the public. I respect what you’ve done, and perhaps it was simply that the withdrawal symptoms clouded your judgement on this one. I’m sure there’s already one (or maybe ten) support groups on Facebook ready to help.
Edward Savio
The question I have: Who was making money off of the application? If it was the application creators, that’s one thing. If it was FB, that is another. Obviously Hasbro is going to try to guard its game against being co-opted… except it hasn’t. There has been no branding of alternative ways of playing scrabble online — notably the International Scrabble Club’s Wordbiz program — so why is this application suddenly so exciting? Bringing Scrabble to new and old audiences alike is something invaluable to the company, regardless of who’s doing it… free marketing is free marketing.
I can see all sides here, Leah had some really good points, and so did Chris, but, I have to agree with Peter. There are so many things that hasbro could have done to make this work for everyone. And, somehow make themselves be the good guys!
Actually there’s another story here that’s been under-reported. Hasbro doesn’t even have the rights to do this if they wanted to. The Scrabble brand is licensed to another company for use outside the US. This type of deal makes sense in the world of board game distribution but, of course, breaks down when it comes to the internet. So first they need to work out the issues of how to handle an online game amongst the two parties, then they need to figure out how to build the game (likely have Scrabulous do it) and how to distribute (Facebook, duh.) But the rights questions are not easy to solve. Especially as there is, as yet, no money to be made from the Facebook app that millions of people like us were enjoying.
To All
Didn’t they do a movie about these Corporate guys - “Dumber Than Dumb”
These corporate “Hats” have no concept about relationship marketing on line (the Internet if they are too dumb to understand). Why did they do this? Because the “Metric Masters” had no explanation for growth. Can’t measure social networking………. DUH better fire the Metric (pay money for ads) Dudes!
Rod Cook
The WatchDog
I agree in part with what Edward Savio said above — there are intellectual property concerns, however I agree with Peter that Hasbro is going about this the wrong way.
Why do I know this? Because of how I felt today when I couldn’t get onto Scrabulous. I really, truly enjoyed that game. I also own TWO versions of Scrabble in my home, and I’m raising two kids, which means I’m buying birthday gifts for their friends to the tune of two a month. I like to buy board games as gift for kids — they’re fun, social, and someone might actually learn something that isn’t on a screen. I’m EXACTLY the demographic Hasbro wants to target — suburban families who have regular “game nights”, right?
But now I’m annoyed with them. Now I may think twice before buying another Hasbro game.
Yes, there is stealing
Yes, there is bullying the little guy
And yes, when these things aren’t handled well, there’s a disaffected customer.
There are lots of other game companies on the shelves. I, for one, will be checking them out.
Well I stopped playing Scrabulous, frankly cos I sucked donkey ass at it, even though I was addicted to it.
However to pass the time at work, I dont so much miss it, I have Peters blog and comments to entertain me throughout the day.
Dumb Move for Hasbro…
I had to weigh in on Hasbro’s heavy-handed move in forcing Scrabulous off Facebook. Hasbro, of course, created the original game - Scrabble - and has all the rights, etc. Scrabulous really had only its popularity and playability going for…
agree. REALLY irritating in a business sense. public goodwill will falter. when I read about it in the paper, I thought of the teetering corporate suit flailing behind that dern fast-moving internet, trying to shut down and/or sue what it does not and cannot be flexible enough to understand.
Tanya - if you haven’t tried it yet, I’d suggest “Apples to Apples” as a possibility for those birthday gifts. It’s great fun.
Apples to Apples is now owned by Mattel, so careful who you support
It’s a great game (it won Best Party Game from Games Mag back in ‘99) . If you are looking for fun games I’d recommend you look for a few things;
- Check for Awards (Spiel Des Yahre (or Games of the Year). Germany is a hotbed for great games - it’s a huge part of their culture. Lots of organization deliver awards like Mensa, Dr Toy, Major Fun, Games Magazine, Creative Child.
- Check for reviews (you wouldn’t but a book without a review - apply the same rigor to buying games). Generally this means avoid “Branded” games - one’s that mimic TV shows or Movies.
- Use the web (boardgamegeek.com is an awesome resource) just make sure you don’t get tempted to buy something too hard for your tastes.
- Get to know/like specific Designers (yes games do have designers). If you like one games from Alan Moon you might like another, for example.
Cool word games right now include Amuze Amaze and Bananagrams.
For strategy games that your whole family can play (i.e. not too heavy) and still lots of fun i’d recommend “Ticket to Ride”, “Carcasonne” or “Settlers of Catan”
Speaking as the publisher of the party game, I’m a bit biased. Another game (aside from Apples to Apples) that fits these criteria along with my game GiftTRAP is Wits & Wagers.
There’s lots of games out there. Barnes & Noble is one store that actively supports this category.