Monopoly may be turning 90, but Hasbro isn’t letting nostalgia collect dust. Nilay Verma breaks down how the brand is blending physical play with digital behaviour to stay relevant for India’s new-age players.
Nilay Verma, Head – India & Southeast Asia at Hasbro
At a time when kids are tapping screens before they can tie their shoelaces, it’s almost absurd—and a little magical—that a 90-year-old board game still commands living-room real estate. Monopoly isn’t just aging; it’s shape-shifting. New formats, new players, new rules of engagement… yet the same old thrill of buying Park Place before your cousin does.
So what keeps a legacy brand relevant in a world where childhood is increasingly digital and attention spans are basically on a diet? And more importantly—how do you modernise nostalgia without breaking it?
Nilay Verma, Head – India & Southeast Asia at Hasbro, has a simple answer: you evolve, but you don’t erase. In this conversation with Shailja Tiwari, he breaks down Monopoly’s 90-year journey, its India-first bets, and why going digital doesn’t mean going soulless. (Edited Excerpts)
Monopoly completes 90 years globally. Mr. Monopoly himself is now 90—still younger in spirit than most of us—but continues bringing joy and engagement worldwide. It remains one of the most loved and revered board-game properties among kids and young adults. To celebrate this milestone, we are introducing new products to bring even more joy to Indian consumers.
Monopoly has always been a love brand in India. Before 2017, it was available through joint ventures. In 2017, Hasbro started direct distribution with classic versions.
We introduced the first electronic Monopoly in 2018—replacing currency notes with a debit-card-based electronic system. It quickly became a global favourite.
From there, the innovation continued:
2019: Game of Thrones Monopoly
2020: Monopoly Speed (fast-play version)
2021 onward: Localization with Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam versions
2023: ICC World Cup Monopoly—our first India-exclusive, locally designed version
The move to digital reflects how kids now learn and play. Our latest launch, Monopoly App Banking, helps children transition from Junior Monopoly to Classic Monopoly using an app-based, assisted gameplay experience. Kids get a feel for digital transactions—mirroring what they see in real life—while still enjoying the core Monopoly experience.
Monopoly GO is a fully digital experience meant for a different audience.
Monopoly App Banking is an assisted digital layer on top of Classic Monopoly—designed specifically for kids to experience gameplay with help from an app, not as a standalone mobile game. It keeps the nostalgia of physical play intact.
The company operates with 20+ SKUs in India, catering to multiple age brackets and price points. Monopoly App Banking will strengthen the core portfolio further. Our revenue streams come from these diverse SKUs rather than any single format.
COVID made families rediscover the joy of coming together for board games. That behaviour stuck—Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and older players continue engaging with board games. India now sees more board-game cafés, gaming nights, and social gatherings centred around play.
We also introduced Monopoly Boardwalk, a high-energy party/social version targeted at adults.
Hasbro is primarily a toys and games company. That remains our biggest revenue driver worldwide. Our strength lies in building multi-generational play—not just kids, but young adults increasingly engage with toys and games for stress relief and social connection.
Deepen localisation—in product development and sourcing
Bigger India-made portfolio—aligning with Make in India
Expand distribution and relevance across demographics and regions
Hasbro has sourced from India since 1992 and is one of the biggest exporters of toys from India, contributing nearly one-third of India’s toy exports.
Localisation helps on pricing, but more importantly, it enables India to produce global-quality products for both domestic and international markets.
We don’t disclose region-wise splits. But India is one of the fastest-growing markets and a major growth engine for the APAC region—driven by its young population and strong sourcing ecosystem.
India has year-round demand cycles due to festivals like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, Christmas, Ganpati etc. Unlike Western markets, where sales spike mainly in Q4, India sees continuous demand. Our multilingual Monopoly launches helped us meet this diverse cultural landscape.
We operate a full 360-degree strategy—TV, YouTube, social media, influencer-led UGC, and conventional trade activations. Digital helps us speak directly to parents and young adults. We activate all relevant touchpoints across e-commerce, quick commerce, modern trade, and traditional retail.
It’s integral now. We partner with creators who communicate authentically and transparently. We focus on UGC that aligns with brand ethos and clearly conveys product benefits.
Who is your primary target audience? What behavioural trends do you see?
We don’t target only kids—our focus is multi-generational play.
Trends include:
Kids resonating with products that integrate real-world behaviours (e.g., digital payments)
Parents demanding high-quality, globally benchmarked products
Young adults increasingly using toys and games for social connection
It’s not a simple urban–rural split. Aspiration exists everywhere. A child in a small town may want electronic Monopoly just as much as a child in Mumbai. E-commerce ensures nationwide access. Communication is tailored to each channel and region.
India aims to grow faster than the global Toys & Games category. We’re still in the early stage of the India journey, and we believe India can be a global growth engine for Hasbro.
Monopoly House of the Dragon (pop-culture edition)
Relaunch of Play-Doh in India with wider distribution
More products are in the pipeline, with a focus on relevance and quality.
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