Tyne for a New Monopoly Edition!
Would you like to become the owner of St. James’ Park stadium for just £300? Or buy up Quayside or Bigg Market for even less?
Well now you’ll be able to with the brand-new official MONOPOLY: Newcastle and Gateshead Edition, coming just over 25 years from the very first time Tyneside ‘Passed GO.’
Winning Moves UK, an official MONOPOLY maker, under licence from Hasbro, a leading toy and game company, produced MONOPOLY: Newcastle & Gateshead Edition back in 1998, which was hugely popular in its day before being discontinued more than a decade ago. Back in the day, this game was produced before social media existed (was there ever a time!) and residents did not have a chance to share their thoughts on what should be included on the game.
This time, the Tyneside public will be getting its say. From the spaces – in all, 31 of them – to the cards and to any celebs that may adorn the box lid cover.
The original MONOPOLY game featured Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer and Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards on the box lid cover, both local North-East heroes at the time. The top ranked ‘Mayfair’ position was The Sage, whilst Tynemouth took up occupancy on ‘Old Kent Road’ at the other end of the board, which is the game’s most affordable square.
“This is a new game for a new generation, and unlike last time, we are opening it up to the public to suggest landmarks to feature in the game on the famous multi-coloured property spaces,” says John Keen-Tomlinson, Custom Games Executive at Winning Moves UK.
“Since we produced MONOPOLY: Newcastle & Gateshead Edition, the region’s cachet has soared as a shopping destination, go-to entertainment experience, weekend getaway, and big night out.”
Mr Keen-Tomlinson adds: “The celebrities that are ambassadors for Newcastle have changed a lot since the first game. This time it could be Cheryl, Jamal Lascelles and Ant and Dec on the cover.”
Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive of Newcastle NE1 who is attending the announcement, says:
“It is fabulous that there is to be a new Newcastle and Gateshead edition of the much-loved MONOPOLY game. Newcastle and the North East have changed dramatically over the past 25 years since the last regional edition was released, with huge amounts of investment and new buildings created across the region. We can’t wait to see which of them are included on the board to sit alongside other famous Geordie landmarks, monuments and buildings.
“We are rightfully proud of our city and where we live and love that Monopoly is going to showcase the area, highlighting some of the many reasons we all love it here. A new MONOPOLY for Newcastle and Gateshead will help promote the North East to a new generation of game players and help put the region on the map, or in this case the board.”
In all, 30+ local landmarks and favourites – like the The Angel of the North, University, Tyne Bridge, Tyne Tunnels, St. James’ Park and the Theatre Royal – will be showcased in the game, replacing the likes of ‘Mayfair’ and ‘Park Lane’ from the classic MONOPOLY original.
The Geordie public will even have a say as to which Newcastle and Gateshead landmarks will be featured on the board and at what price!
In the last edition, St. James’ Park cost £200 to buy and £500 to build a hotel on it. In this version, Mr Keen-Tomlinson suggests that the club will be moving upwards on the board to keep up with the resurgence of the football club over the last few years.
The property sets are themed in genres, from heritage to sport, arts to business, entertainment to education, shopping to leisure, and lots more.
The quartet of train stations from the classic MONOPOLY original will form a ‘travel’ set. That’s because Tyneside doesn’t have a multitude of main line train stations to select from like in the original board game. This travel set of four could see any of these from the set: Newcastle bus and train stations, the airport, the Tyne tunnel and the Tyne Bridge.
The Chance and Community Chest cards will be customised too. One card could send players ‘Back 3 Spaces’ for getting stuck in city centre traffic.
Over the last 30 years, Winning Moves UK has produced select official versions of MONOPOLY all over the world, from Palm Springs to Phuket and Dubai to Dublin. Now, the dice are landing on Newcastle and Gateshead exclusively.
The public is invited to suggest Newcastle and Gateshead landmarks to feature on the famous MONOPOLY spaces, as well as the wording on the Chance and Community Chest cards. Suggestions can be made by two ways:
1. By email to: [email protected]
2. Via the official MONOPOLY: Newcastle and Gateshead Edition Facebook page.
Nominations will be accepted for consideration from 10am on Thursday 25th January until 11.59pm on Wednesday 7th February 2024. The MONOPOLY: Newcastle and Gateshead Edition game will hit the shops in October, in time for this Christmas (2024).
Image: Mr Monopoly with Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive of Newcastle NE1 Ltd
