Board game creator makes a fortune with �39m deal

A Scottish board game creator has become tens of millions of pounds richer after selling his invention to toy giant Hasbro for 39 million pounds.

London, Jan 6 : A Scottish board game creator has become tens of millions of pounds richer after selling his invention to toy giant Hasbro for 39 million pounds.

Richard Tait, from Helensburgh, had created the popular game Cranium that has racked up sales of 15 million in 30 countries.

The 43-year-old Seattle-based inventor had come up with the idea of this game when he and his wife were playing board games with friends over a weekend.

While the first game they were playing focused drawing skill, the second one was based on spelling. When he won the first game but lost the second one, Tait was inspired to create a game that allowed everyone to show their skills.

After convincing his friend, Whit Alexander, of his winning idea, they wrote a 22-page plan for their proposed game and invented Cranium. The duo also developed a series of other hit games following the same procedure.

"Every game or experience we create is about a moment in someone's life. It's aim is to bring people together to have a relaxed, fun evening," the Scotsman quoted Tait, as saying last year.

His games are tested over a hundred times before they are sent to the markets for selling.

"In the early days, Whit and I would be hiding behind a couch in somebody's house watching them play the game," he said.

Tait has also signed another sumptuous deal with game developer Ubisoft Entertainment to launch a Cranium game for Nintendo's Wii video game console.

ANI