New Zealand's favourite family game brand continues to introduce innovative game play in 2010

In 1935, in the depths of the Great Depression, Parker Brothers began selling MONOPOLY, a property trading game that would quickly become a cultural phenomenon. 75 years later, more than one billion people have played the game designed by Charles Darrow and based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

MONOPOLY was first introduced to New Zealand well over 35 years ago and the game became hugely popular. The New Zealand Here & Now limited edition launched in 2007, featuring iconic New Zealand place names and player pieces, enabling Kiwis to have their own slice of MONOPOLY history.

Jane Ritson-Parsons, Global Brand Leader for MONOPOLY says, “Over the past 75 years, MONOPOLY has truly become the world’s favourite family game brand and a part of New Zealand pop culture. MONOPOLY is part of our childhood memories and has become a much loved Kiwi board game.”

In 2010, MONOPOLY is more than a board game - it’s now an entertainment experience that stretches from the game board to video games and from mobile phones to the movie screen.

“Today, MONOPOLY provides entertainment experiences for players around the world. Whether they play the board game, engage with the digital or online games, or participate in lottery gaming, there is a MONOPOLY experience to fit every lifestyle,” says Jane.

This year, the tradition of buying, selling and negotiating iconic properties in the quest to own it all continues with the introduction of MONOPOLY Revolution Edition in September. The game utilises the properties and landmarks of the original game, but with a twist. MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition reinvents traditional MONOPOLY game play with a new look, including a round game board, standout packaging, and game-pod (sound unit) with electronic banking. MONOPOLY: Revolution also features clips of hit songs from five decades, including “Umbrella” originally by Rihanna, “Bad Day” originally by Daniel Powter and “Drive My Car” originally by Paul McCartney, and sound effects throughout the game that bring a contemporary new spin on the classic family favourite. As a nod to the 75th Anniversary, the game features modern prices, which means that players collect $2 million when passing “GO” instead of the traditional $200.


MONOPOLY history
The images, colors and properties of MONOPOLY are now iconic pieces of pop culture thanks to Charles Darrow. In 1933, Charles Darrow created a prototype of a new game using materials from his own home. He used a piece of oilcloth that had been a table covering for the board, made the houses and hotels from scraps of wooden molding and hand wrote the cards. The original mover tokens from the prototype game were actually charms from his wife’s charm bracelet.

Darrow attempted to sell the game to Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, but was initially rejected by Parker Brothers for 52 “fundamental errors” that included the game’s length and complexity. Undaunted, Darrow secured a copyright, manufactured the game and sold it at department stores in Philadelphia. With the success of the game, Parker Brothers reconsidered their initial rejection and negotiated the rights to produce the game.

In 1935, Parker Brothers began selling MONOPOLY as created by Charles Darrow in the United States. Within a year of the release of the game in the US, 20,000 copies of the game were being made each week. The game sold for $2. At about the same time in the United Kingdom, Waddington’s in London was granted licensing rights to the game. To make the game relevant to their consumers, the names of the properties were changed to well known streets in London. This is a practice that continues today when the game is introduced to a new country.

Over the years, the game and the rules have remained virtually unchanged even though the outer packaging has gone through many revisions and specialty editions – covering topics as varied as dogs, sports teams and movies. Since its 70th Anniversary, Hasbro invited fans of the game to help update the board in their respective countries to reflect what the game board would look like if it were created today instead of in 1935. The votes resulted in Here & Now editions of the game in each country. In 2008, Hasbro invited fans worldwide to vote for which cities they would like to see on the game board of a global edition of the game, the MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition – a first for MONOPOLY since all games to date were based on the regional area. Montreal and Riga took home top honors in the vote and earned the highest value property spaces. In 2010, residents in Canada, Turkey, Russia, Korea, Peru and Hong Kong will be voting to create an updated version of the game for their area.

Today, fans of the game can play MONOPOLY in a variety of ways that best fit their schedule and lifestyle. Stemming from the strategic alliance between Hasbro and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), EA has created digital versions of MONOPOLY which are available for download for mobile phones or free online at www.Pogo.com™. MONOPOLY is also available for console gaming systems, including the Nintendo Wii™, Xbox 360™, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3.

MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition will be available in September 2010 for an approximate retail price of $64.99. The game is recommended for two to six players, ages 8 and up.