The end of board games as we know it?
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Coming to wreck a Con near you!
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Pass go – and click. Classic board games like Monopoly are going virtual under a partnership between Electronic Arts and Hasbro as the whole family from children to grandparents become gamers.
Games like “Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition,” “Battleship” and “Boggle” have entered the digital world with EA using the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to showcase upcoming spring releases aimed at the burgeoning casual games market.
A new version of “SCRABBLE” for PSP and Nintendo DS introduces a SCRABBLE Slam mode that challenges players to get rid of Slam cards by spelling words.
Those wishing to go green can save paper by playing “Trivial Pursuit” on Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2.
After releasing “Hasbro Family Game Night” on Wii and PS2 last fall, EA is offering all of the games on Xbox Live Arcade.
Gamers can buy games individually or the entire suite, which includes “SCRABBLE,” “Connect Four,” “Boggle,” “Yahtzee,” “Battleship,” “Sorry!,” and “Sorry! Sliders.”
But despite the recent influx of board games going digital, Hasbro isn’t about to lose its lucrative board game business.
“I don’t think you can ever replace the experience of pulling out a box of “Monopoly” and playing in front of the fireplace with your family over the holidays,” said Chip Lange, EA Hasbro vice president and general manager.
Instead, Lange foresees video games giving franchises like “SCRABBLE” and “Yahtzee” new life through online connectivity that allows families to play together from across the country.
The virtual world also opens up new gameplay options like a 30-minute speed game of “Monopoly.”
“The cardboard version of “Connect Four” is limited to connecting four checkers in a row, but we can do things like blow up checkers in the digital version and it adds a lot of new strategic gameplay mechanics,” said Lange. “These video games keep the brands relevant in the digital age.”
