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)--Aug. 19, 2008--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:

  -- 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

"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^™, Xbox 360^™, PlayStation^®2 and PLAYSTATION^®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. ^© 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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SOURCE: Hasbro, Inc.