It is almost 90 years old, yet the enthusiasm around it has not diminished. The popular board game Monopoly has been revived with its smartphone version “Monopoly Go!”, which has become a real hit with the public, with 8 million players every day. What is its recipe?
The mobile game was released in April 2023 and was developed by American video game studio Scopely in collaboration with Hasbro, the owner of the original game. The mobile game aims to “redefine” Monopoly in a modern way while “capturing the essence that makes the brand famous,” explained Javier Ferreira, co-CEO of Scopely.
Theft and destruction of buildings
Concretely, each user has his own board where we find the usual elements of a real estate game, from the first square to the prison square. The objective remains the same: to earn as much money as possible and destroy others. The user is also encouraged to play against his relatives in order to recreate the atmosphere of a noisy evening in the living room with family or friends.
But “Monopoly Go!” still differs from its predecessor, adding a little excitement: to collect tickets, players can participate in bank robberies or destroy buildings built by another user. Enough to ignite parties even more than they already are.
The simple and addictive gameplay represents each new level you reach in a city, such as New York, London, or Paris. As with most mobile games, players can pay real money for perks.
A game promoted during the Olympic Games.
And the recipe is working. Monopoly’s little brother has already hit more than $3 billion in revenue in just over a year, Hasbro CEO Chris Cox announced in late July during the company’s financial results presentation. It’s the first mobile game to reach that revenue milestone so quickly, in 473 days, according to Sensor Tower. The company added that for 2024, Hasbro expects to generate at least $105 million in revenue from Monopoly licensing, acknowledging that figure could be understated.
More than 8 million people play Monopoly Go! every day, according to Javier Ferreira, who also noted that Scopely has spent at least $500 million on marketing to promote the game, and a commercial is also regularly aired on France Télévisions during the Paris Olympics.
In all forms
It was that triumph that prompted the two companies to go in the opposite direction, launching a Monopoly Go-inspired board game in mid-July, available only in the United States. Designed for two to four players, it’s less complex than classic Monopoly and the games are faster. Each player has their own board and there are elements of the mobile game, such as heists.
With Monopoly's 90th anniversary approaching in 2025, Hasbro and Ubisoft have also announced a new version of the game for consoles and PC in September.
Invented in the United States in 1903 by Lizzie Magie and popularized by Charles Darrow, an unemployed engineer, Monopoly was a hit when it was officially released in 1935. The board game is now distributed in 114 countries, published in 47 languages, including Breton and Corsican, and available in 300 different editions. The green carpet, the dice game, the prison box, the little houses and the famous Parisian titles never cease to delight and amuse. Whether on board, on mobile or on console.
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