The world's most popular board game announces the 22 cities
elected by fans worldwide to appear on new MONOPOLY Here & Now: The
World Edition game board
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
After a worldwide vote, Montreal will represent the most expensive
property on the new MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition game board.
Latvia's national capital, Riga, joins Montreal to round out the dark
blue property group, the most prestigious property group in the
popular game invented by Charles Darrow in 1935.
During a six-week period in early 2008, MONOPOLY fans from around
the world voted for the global cities that they would like to see
represented on the first-ever World edition game board. More than 5.6
million votes were cast for 70 world-class cities, which determined 20
of the 22 cities featured in the game. Then, the 20 cities with the
most write-in votes faced off in a bonus vote and the two with the
most votes, Taipei and Gdynia, earned the brown property spaces on the
game board.
"We hope that fans of the world's most popular board game will
enjoy buying, selling and trading real estate from around the globe in
the new MONOPOLY game that they created with their votes," said Helen
Martin, Vice President of Global Marketing for toy and game-maker
Hasbro, Inc.'s (NYSE: HAS) MONOPOLY brand. "We are thrilled that the
first-ever global game board includes an interesting mix of cities
that showcases the dynamic cultures, sights and history of the
planet."
The 22 cities that earned spots on the MONOPOLY Here & Now: The
World Edition are as follows, listed in order of property groupings
with the highest rent properties listed first:
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*T
-- Dark Blue: Montreal, Riga
-- Green: Cape Town, Belgrade, Paris
-- Yellow: Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing
-- Red: London, New York, Sydney
-- Orange: Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome
-- Magenta: Toronto, Kyiv, Istanbul
-- Light Blue: Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo
-- Brown: Taipei, Gdynia
*T
"The destinations chosen by the international voters offer a
fascinating snapshot of which cities have the world's attention
today," said Pauline Frommer, creator of the Pauline Frommer
guidebooks. "Of course, there are the perennial favorites--Paris,
London, Rome, Jerusalem, New York--but also some real surprises on the
list, like Riga and Gdynia. I hope the game sparks players interest in
geography -- and visiting all of these cities would certainly enhance
your life!"
Along with the 22 property spaces featuring world-class global
cities, the game will include updated Chance and Community Chest cards
that highlight events and culturally relevant scenarios from countries
around the world. Players may celebrate at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro,
organize an international music festival or host a St. Patrick's Day
festival in Dublin. Additionally, the tokens, houses and hotels
reflect icons and styles from all seven continents.
The new MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition will be available
in stores around the world starting on August 26, 2008 in more than 50
countries and in 37 different languages. Please check www.monopoly.com
for local availability and price.
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) has created digital versions
of MONOPOLY which will be available for download on mobile phones or
free online at www.Pogo.com starting September 3, 2008. It will also
launch for console systems including Nintendo Wii(TM), Xbox 360(TM),
PlayStation(R)2 and PLAYSTATION(R)3 in October 2008.
Hasbro, Inc. is a worldwide leader in children's and family
leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and
entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and
most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a
brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market
a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to
high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as
TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS,
TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play
through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. (C) 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All
Rights Reserved.
Hunter PR
Donetta Allen, 212-679-6600
dallen@hunterpr.com
or
Brazen PR
Peter Burling, +44 7974 323047
peter@brazenpr.com
or
Hasbro, Inc.
Pat Riso, 413-526-2307
priso@hasbro.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
