San Francisco - Google and Monopoly maker Hasbro launched a new version of the famous board game Wednesday, which transfers the action from a rectangular piece of cardboard to the simulated world of Google Maps. Called Monopoly City Streets, the game will run for four months online. Players are given 3 million Monopoly dollars to buy whatever streets they want anywhere in the world, and then construct buildings on them and charge rent.
Prices are calculated according to an algorithm that takes into account their length and proximity to major landmarks and town centres. Chance cards offer the ability to add bonus buildings, or in another Monopoly innovation, damage a competitor's property by building undesirable features like sewage farms nearby.
The collaboration was dreamed up by Hasbro's ad agency as a way to show that even in the digital age the 75-year-old board game retains its relevance.
However, they might have underestimated just how relevant it remains. The site crashed soon after launch as thousands of players scrambled to sign up and snag the best properties.
