Originally published May 28, 2009 at 4:36 PM | Page modified May 28, 2009 at 4:45 PM

Cranium's Seattle office closes on Friday

Friday is the last day of business for Cranium in Seattle. The brainy-yet-colorful game company, founded in the 1990s by two former Microsoft...

By Melissa Allison

Seattle Times business reporter

Friday is the last day of business for Cranium in Seattle.

The brainy-yet-colorful game company, founded in the 1990s by two former Microsoft employees, was bought in January 2008 for $69 million by Hasbro, whose game and toy brands include Monopoly, Scrabble, Tonka and a host of others.

At the time, Cranium had 80 employees. Two months later, about 20 had left for other jobs and publicly traded Hasbro began to lay off an additional 40 people.

Now the office has 19 employees, 11 of whom are being laid off.

The others have been offered jobs elsewhere in the company; one person will work for Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast in Renton and the others will have to move out of state if they accept the offers.

Wayne Charness, spokesman for Pawtucket, R.I.-based Hasbro said that despite the office's closure, "the Cranium brand is important, and some people will continue with us."

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com

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