Earlier today we published a hands-on that the U.S. team had with the latest version of Monopoly. It’s called Monopoly Cash Grab.
Are we being trolled?
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/11/the-newest-version-of-monopoly-is-just-a-blaster-that-shoots-money/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/asq8raheq8rewrjvysi5.gif” title=”The Newest Version of Monopoly Is Just a Blaster That Shoots Money” excerpt=”No game on Earth better represents the American dream than Monopoly. But at its heart, the classic board game isn’t about buying properties, going to jail, or running the local utilities; it’s about amassing wealth. So with Monopoly Cash Grab, Hasbro has distilled the game down to its purest form, replacing the board, tokens, and properties with a blaster that just shoots money at players.”]
Now we all know that Hasbro is a business and it’s there to make money. And with over 1,100 versions under its belt, there is a general understanding that if something makes it big, it’s going to be licensed for a Monopoly board.
Let’s not forget the whole Monopoly For Millennials thing. That tongue-in-cheek-but-kinda-patronising version has been getting slammed for weeks now.
To be honest, I’ve even fallen prey to the system. I still have the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition shrink wrapped in my cupboard somewhere.
The turnaround on these babies being pumped out is pretty short, too. There’s already one for Fortnite.
And there have also been some weird ones over the last 110 years – Monopoly Bass Fishing, Fantasy Baseball, and Heinz. There was even a floating Monopoly at one time.
But to actually dub a version of the game ‘Cash Grab’, especially in the lead up to Christmas, is hilarious.
To be fair, the name comes from the mechanics – each player is equipped with a blaster filled with Monopoly money and chance cards, which are used to make it rain. Players then scramble to grab what has fallen to the ground. Other stuff happens but whoever has the most cash at the end wins, because Monopoly.
The whole thing has very little to do with ‘traditional’ versions of Monopoly, although this certainly isn’t the first time that the format has been shaken up. But despite that, Cash Grab still feels like an excuse to inject Nerf into the franchise. Yeah, Hasbro own that too.
But while Hasbro has every right to do whatever it wants with its products… Cash Grab is still such a beautifully unfortunate name. How nobody picked up on the connotation is incredible. But hey, at least it’s given us all a good chuckle.
Sadly, there is no word on when Cash Grab will be hitting Australia, but it will be available in the U.S. from December.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/11/monopoly-for-millennials-is-a-real-game-where-you-dont-pay-rent-or-bother-saving/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/millmop-410×231.jpg” title=”Monopoly For Millennials Is A Real Game Where You Don’t Save Money Or Pay Rent” excerpt=”Monopoly is a terrible board game. Just… horrible. It brings in the money though, because Hasbro keeps pumping out all sorts of special editions and themed versions. But with the release of Monopoly For Millennials, I think we can all agree it’s gone too far.”]