LONDON, UK, JUNE 04, 2009– King.com ( http://www.king.com), the world’s leading online social games company, and Mattel Inc., the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, today announced the launch of the official and exclusive online skill game version of the classic board game Scrabble, entitled Scrabble ZING ( http://www.King.com/game/word-games/scrabble-zing ), in Europe.
King.com is the first online games site in Europe to offer the skill-based version of the world’s best-selling crossword board game that for decades has tested the vocabulary skills of players. Scrabble ZING is available for players in the UK as well as continental Europe.
Based on the game in which players battle to form words from individual, jumbled lettered tiles, Scrabble ZING brings King.com this legacy to the competitive world of online skill games. The original board game, and the enduring image of its distinctive square tiles, has spawned everything from a TV game show to the World Scrabble Tournament in Mumbai. Scrabble is available in 121 countries in 29 languages. King.com’s authorized version gives a whole new audience of social gamers a chance to compete against others for cash prizes and experience the thrill of bagging a“triple word score” online.
“Scrabble is one of the ageless board games that for years has delighted wily wordsmiths around the world,” said Riccardo Zacconi, CEO, King.com.“We are excited about providing the definitive classic word game that, like our numerous other word games, challenges the creativity, knowledge and strategy of players.”
“Teaming up with King.com through our agreement with Real Networks, and delivering one of the world’s best-selling board games to skill-game enthusiasts, allows us to reach even more Scrabble fans,” said Geoff Walker, Senior Vice President, Mattel Brands.“Just as Scrabble has become a mainstay of word-game lovers, the version debuting on King.com will continue to tap the passions of longtime aficionados online while introducing it to a new generation of gamers.”
Launched in 2004, King.com offers more than 140 different skill and social games, with its premier gaming destinations King.com ( www.King.com) and MyGame.com ( www.mygame.com). The site is available in nine languages and promoted in 10 countries.
King.com is the exclusive provider of skill games for leading portals and websites such as Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Real Networks, Orange, NBC, freenet.de, RTL, Sat 1, Endemol, MTV3, Web.de and other leading media companies. The company is known for extending the brand of popular TV properties such as“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” and“The Biggest Loser.”
King.com has offices in London, Hamburg, Stockholm, Rome and Los Angeles.
King.com’s digital press kit, including gamer profiles, photos and screenshots, is available at: http://consortpartners.com/clients/king.php.
A family favorite since 1948, the Scrabble brand crossword game has sold more than 150 million sets worldwide. About 1.5 million Scrabble games are purchased each year in North America, where it can be found in one out of every three homes. Scrabble: Diamond Anniversary Edition was released in 2008 in celebration of the game’s ongoing popularity. Through an alliance between Mattel and Electronic Arts (EA), Scrabble has also landed on digital gaming platforms including mobile phones, iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, Facebook and Pogo.com, EA’s online gaming destination.
Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT, http://www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Radica® and TycoR/C®, as well as Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2009, Mattel is recognized among the "100 Best Corporate Citizens," as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and as one of FORTUNE Magazine’s "100 Best Companies to Work For." With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs approximately 30,000 people in 43 countries and territories