Indian board game fans can now lay their hands on the Hindi version of the classic game Monopoly. Toy major Hasbro is introducing the Monopoly Deal Card Game in the Hindi version in India on the occasion of World Monopoly Day.

This is a part of Hasbro’s broader strategy to focus on ramping up local sourcing and expanding the range of ‘Made-In-India’ and ‘Made-for-India’ offerings.

In the Monopoly Deal Card Game Hindi version, players can buy, sell and trade properties in Indian cities. All 110 cards, including Property Cards, Rent Cards, House and Hotel Cards, Action Cards and Wild Property Cards, and instructions are in Hindi.

‘A landmark addition’

Bhavesh Somaya, General Manager – South Asia, Hasbro, said: “In recent years, we have been focussing on bringing more relevant offerings to the Indian market. Monopoly Deal Hindi card game is a landmark addition to the franchise. This is just the first step and we are working on a strong innovation pipeline focussing on vernacular languages and localised offerings.”

Wider appeal

The toy major believes this will help the board game have a wider appeal and become more accessible to different kinds of socio-economic segments and consumer cohorts in the country.

“India is a very important market for Hasbro globally, and we are keen to expand our footprint in the country as we believe this is the next big sunrise market for the toy industry.

“We are already sourcing almost 50 per cent of all toys that are sold in India domestically from our vendors and manufacturer partners in the country. We expect to scale up local sourcing for domestically sold products to more than 70 per cent over the next two years,” Somaya added.

The company’s India business has been growing at a double-digit CAGR for the past five years, and India is also an important market for global sourcing for the toy major. Board and card games have been witnessing strong traction as consumers stayed at home and spent more time with their families due to the pandemic outbreak.

“In the last one year, the role of toys and games has evolved to another level, as families spent more time at home and there has been a significant rise in demand for our games. “Nostalgia has also been a big factor in games as parents took the time to introduce their kids to games they enjoyed playing while growing up,” he stated.

Monopoly BID game

The toy major is also launching Monopoly BID game in India; in the past it had introduced other localised and made-in-India versions of the game. Monopoly BID and the Hindi version of the Monopoly Deal Card Game are available for ₹299 on e-commerce platforms and local toy stores.

The 86-year-old board game is estimated to be played by over one billion players across 114 countries.

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