British Scrabble to allow proper nouns

Mattel said the new version, which will only be available in Britain, will allow players to score points by spelling proper nouns, including names of people and brand names, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

The toy company said the original version of the game will still be available alongside the update in stores.

"We are launching a new edition of Scrabble in the U.K. later this year which builds on the rules of the classic game to introduce a new dimension to the play format," a Mattel representative said. "One of the new twists being introduced does include an opportunity for players to play a proper noun."

Hasbro, which controls the rights to Scrabble in the United States, has given no word on whether it has plans for a similar move.

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