REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) today proclaimed Thursday, April 7, 2011, as Global MONOPOLY Day on Facebook. MONOPOLY fans around the world are invited to play MONOPOLY Millionaires on Facebook to win more than $20,000 in prizes* and participate in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Records® title. The attempt will be measured by the greatest number of people worldwide simultaneously playing MONOPOLY Millionaires on Facebook. Official adjudicators will be monitoring the game over a 24-hour period from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST on April 7. Players can take part during that time frame through MONOPOLY Millionaires on Facebook and can RSVP to participate at the Global MONOPOLY Day event page on Facebook any time prior to 11:59 p.m. PST on April 7.
“With MONOPOLY Millionaires, EA and Hasbro have brought the beloved family board game to a growing audience of tens of millions of people on Facebook,” said Katie Mitic, Director of Platform and Mobile Marketing, Facebook. “We’re excitedly anticipating the record to be set on Facebook as people share the whole experience with their friends.”
In addition to the record attempt, participants in global MONOPOLY Day on Facebook can get a chance to win a wealth of fun rewards. A total of $20,580 in prizes – the same amount of MONOPOLY money in Hasbro’s globally popular MONOPOLY board game – are available, including $5,000 in cash prizes, $5,000 in Visa® gift cards, various Apple® products, and many other great prizes. For a chance to win prizes, participants can enter the MONOPOLY Millionaires Sweepstakes* through the MONOPOLY Millionaires Facebook app on April 7. No purchase necessary to participate. On April 6, EA is offering a special flash deal on MONOPOLY Streets at www.facebook.com/EAInsiderDeals. And, on April 8, EA Mobile™ will host a sale on MONOPOLY games for iPad™, Kindle™ and most mobile devices for all Global MONOPOLY Day participants to thank them for their involvement in the Guinness World Records attempt.
"Since its launch in February, MONOPOLY Millionaires has quickly become one of the most popular games on Facebook, delighting millions of enthusiastic players from around the world," said Chip Lange, Senior Vice President of EA’s Hasbro Division. "We are reminded every day of the power of the passionate MONOPOLY community and can't wait to see all the fans come out to help us set the Guinness World Record for the most people playing MONOPOLY Millionaires simultaneously on Facebook. With their support, we're looking forward to Global MONOPOLY Day being an overwhelming success."
MONOPOLY Millionaires is the first free-to-play social gaming version of the world’s favorite family game brand. Released by EA in February 2011, the title was the fastest growing Facebook game during the weeks of March 7 and March 14, and had a 472% increase in players from March 1 to April 1, 2011, according to AppData.
“The popularity of MONOPOLY Millionaires underscores the massive appeal and connection that the brand holds with consumers worldwide,” said Jane Ritson-Parsons, Global Brand Leader for MONOPOLY at Hasbro. “Social gaming platforms such as Facebook have significantly broadened the MONOPOLY playing universe and events such as Global MONOPOLY Day celebrate the rich heritage and exciting future of a branded play experience that has been entertaining families for nearly eight decades.”
To celebrate Global MONOPOLY Day on Facebook, EA is promoting local meet ups around the globe through Meetup.com – the world’s largest network of local groups – in which fans can gather to play MONOPOLY Millionaires in the attempt to set the Guinness World Records title. For more information about how to organize and take part in a Global MONOPOLY Day meet-up, visit http://www.meetup.com/Global-Monopoly-Day.
* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
Eligibility restrictions apply.
Void where prohibited.
Complete rules can be found at www.playfish.com/monopolymillionairessweeps.
About MONOPOLY
Since 1935, more than 275 million copies of MONOPOLY have been sold in 111 countries and 40 languages. Hundreds of different editions of the game have been published, but the most popular continues to be the classic "Number Nine." Affectionately known by its original product number, "Number Nine" is based on the streets of Atlantic City and is nearly identical to Charles Darrow's original submission to Parker Brothers. The MONOPOLY name and logo, the distinctive design of the game board, the four corner squares, the MR. MONOPOLY name and the character, as well as each of the distinctive elements of the board and playing pieces are trademarks of Hasbro for its property trading game and game equipment.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(tm), EA(tm), EA Mobile(tm) and POGO(tm). In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2011 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. MONOPOLY is a trademark of Hasbro and used with permission. iPad and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc. Kindle is a registered trademark of Amazon Technologies, Inc. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.