Monopoly game is going global

Monopoly is looking for a few good cities.

Hasbro Inc., which makes the board game, is developing a global Monopoly game that will feature 20 cities from around the world. Fans can vote online for up to 10 of 68 candidate cities until Feb. 28.

They can also nominate a city via a wild card — basically an online write-in ballot — if a favorite place is not on the list.

Beginning Feb. 29, the top 20 most nominated wild card cities will compete in a one-week face-off for the chance to be one of the board’s low-rent properties — the equivalent of Baltic and Mediterranean avenues from the original game.

The Pawtucket, R.I., company points out this wild-card option means it’s conceivable that Paris, Texas, and Paris, France, could both be on the board, or that Kalamazoo could share real estate with Sydney or Cairo.

The railroad properties from the original board will feature land, sea, air, and space travel in the new game.

Monopoly is published in 37 languages and sold in 103 countries.

The new game will be called Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition. It will go on sale in September.

The 68 candidate cities include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Bogota, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Caracas, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, London, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Vancouver.

US cities on the list are Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington.
(AP)