It’s a new year and in (what is fast becoming) an annual tradition, Monopoly have announced they will yet again be reinventing the classic board game.
But Hasbro seem to have missed the memo because the newest edition will be capitalising on the worst part of the game - the length.
The ‘Cheater’s Edition’ due to be released in autumn 2018 has been designed for the light-fingered members of your family, and not only allows but actively encourages us all to break the rules.
This only means one thing. How will the game ever end?
Hasbro say they were inspired after conducting a study that found 50% of all players do actually attempt to cheat while engaged in game play. Sound familiar?
Jonathan Berkowitz, senior vice president told Business Insider that they were embracing the mantra of ‘if you can’t beat them join them’, saying : “We have finally decided to embrace our less-than-honest fans by encouraging them to partake in those iconic (yet sometimes unspoken) Monopoly moments that occur during family game nights.”
The game will come with 15 new cheat cards, which include things like not paying rent, placing hotels on your property, moving your piece when it isn’t your turn, giving someone less than you owe or slyly taking away someone else’s property.
During any point in the game, five of these cheat cards will be placed in the middle of the board which players can try to fulfill at any point of the game.
If you are stealthy and don’t get caught doing it, then you will be rewarded. But if you’re caught with your fingers in the till, then expect fines or time in jail.
As if this wasn’t going to complicate matters enough (and mean everyone wants to endlessly count their money in case of theft) but there is no longer a designated banker. Instead each player becomes the banker when it is their turn to roll the dice. So the one person who could have redeemed matters or stopped bad behaviour, will actually be in on the act too.
With all this cheating going on, we’re convinced we will be stuck in a never-ending Monopoly cycle.