Hasbro to Release Boston Monopoly Edition. Could Its HQ Be Coming Here?

When is a board game not a board game? Maybe when it might offer a clue about the future home of a famous game company.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, Hasbro announced it was releasing a Monopoly: Boston Edition and asked Bostonians to recommend some famous stops for the game board. According to a Boston.com report, the Boston Edition will honor the history and heritage of the city by replacing the game board's original layout with popular Boston attractions and landmarks. 

NBC10 News Boston reported sightings of a sharply dressed Mr. Monopoly at various locations around town, including Fenway Park and North Station, outside the Union Oyster House, and next to the Seaport.

Hasbro's interest in creating a Boston edition of the popular Monopoly game is raising questions about whether the company could be setting its sights on Boston for the location of a new corporate headquarters.

A Feb. 4, 2025, report by WJAR-TV revealed that Hasbro is eyeing a potential move to Boston's Seaport District. Hasbro officials said they haven't made any decisions whether to relocate or stay in its current home state of Rhode Island.

Bringing its base of operations back to Boston wouldn't be new for the Monopoly game, which has its roots in Boston. Originally based in Salem, Parker Brothers owned the rights to the game. In 1903, a feminist named Elizabeth Magie patented the concept for the first version of a game that some consider the first Monopoly game called The Landlord's Game. 

Several years later, a game developer named Charles Darrow developed his own version that proved successful. Parker Brothers began selling Monopoly to the masses during the 1930s. It then sold the game primarily to Boston retailers, according to records from the New England Historical Society. Monopoly became a hit for the game retailer that was later acquired by Hasbro during the 1990s.