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Scrabble Players Flock to Facebook

Scrabulous application attracts 500K daily users

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Dec 17, 2007 12:21 PM CST
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(Newser) – The hottest application on Facebook these days is Scrabulous, based on the Hasbro boardgame. Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla, a young brother duo from Calcutta, developed an online version of Scrabble in 2005. They put it on Facebook in June in the hopes of targeting 0.01% of the website's citizenry, but now it's got over half a million daily users.

The brothers are rumoured to be earning $18,000 a month from the app, the New York Times reports. The legality of their revenue may still be in question, as Hasbro never responded when the brothers wrote over copyright concerns. But they still plug in the original: "Scrabble has a charm of its own because you’re playing with close friends or family," said Jayant.

The Scrabulous interface can be seen in this fan-made screencapture.
The Scrabulous interface can be seen in this fan-made screencapture.   (Wikimedia Commons)
Despite the booming popularity of the online version, which also sports multiplayer options, most enthusiasts say it has not discouraged them from real-life play.
Despite the booming popularity of the online version, which also sports multiplayer options, most enthusiasts say it has not discouraged them from real-life play.   ((c) Betsssssy)
In this photo illustration a lap top is logged onto the social networking site Facebook on July 10, 2007 in London, England.
In this photo illustration a lap top is logged onto the social networking site Facebook on July 10, 2007 in London, England.   (Getty Images)
Jay Bruns Director of Marketing for SCRABBLE, Hasbro Games, left, and John Williams, Jr., Executive Director of the National SCRABBLE Association, far right, present the winners check for $5,000 to Aune (pronounce Ow-na) Mitchell, 14, of Ridgefield, Conn., second from left, and Matthew Silver, 13, of Westport, Conn., after...
Jay Bruns Director of Marketing for SCRABBLE, Hasbro Games, left, and John Williams, Jr., Executive Director of the National SCRABBLE Association, far right, present the winners check for $5,000 to Aune...   (Associated Press)
The Scrabble set of novelist Vladimir Nabokov is on display in his house-museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, February 8, 2004. The museum is facing eviction.
The Scrabble set of novelist Vladimir Nabokov is on display in his house-museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, February 8, 2004. The museum is facing eviction.   (KRT Photos)
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