The Forbidden Zone was once a paradise. Your kind made a wasteland of it…. Would an ape make a human Monopoly game, with ape street names? … Don’t look for it, Taylor. You may not like what you find. –Dr. Zaius (paraphrasing a bit)
In its most recent earnings statement, toymaker and licensor Hasbro reported that its gaming unit revenue for the second quarter was up significantly over last year. Its franchise brand revenues, driven by growth in games like Monopoly, resulted in a 21 percent revenue increase for the company, to $545.7 million. What does that mean for fanboys and fangirls? Not only is Monopoly thriving, the 115-year-old marathon board game about real estate that we’ve all played over the years is here to stay. Although it was slow to adapt to computing (the bootleg game Monopole was popular before then-owner Parker Brothers jumped in), to keep up with the times Monopoly partnered with municipalities, sports teams, movies, and other brands to keep Monopoly fresh. What? You missed the U.S. Navy edition? The Ford Thunderbird edition? The Superman Returns and Pokémon editions? The Heinz, Doctor Who, and Batman and Robin editions?
It’s a madhouse. A madhouse! … We finally really did it. You maniacs! –Astronaut George Taylor
For its next franchise tie-in, Hasbro has partnered with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products to release this summer’s strangest mash-up game: Monopoly: Planet of the Apes Retro Art Edition. It’s not just your typical Monopoly tie-in with a popular franchise.
