Behind the Brands.

How do you honor the history of MONOPOLY, an iconic game night staple, while giving it a fresh look that resonates with today’s evolving players?

Meet Anne Marie Horne , one of the creative directors on Hasbro’s Games team – and one of the inventive minds behind MONOPOLY’s visual refresh, just in time to celebrate the brand’s 90th anniversary.

The role. ??

I’m the Senior Global Creative Director on the Hasbro Games team. I oversee a group of incredibly talented people who develop the visual strategy for all of Hasbro’s board games. As a team, we’re responsible for every way fans experience our games visually here and around the world—from visual strategy to game boards, cards and packaging, setting the tone for how the games show up at every touchpoint.

Revamping a classic: MONOPOLY. ??

To start, we dove into understanding the classic MONOPOLY iconography. So many of the original elements are instantly recognizable out in the world—the stylized lightbulb, train engine, chest, question mark. The moment someone sees them, they know exactly where they’re from.

Our main focus was reimagining the game’s visual expression, so my team jumped in from the very beginning. Kat Murray, the team’s creative director who oversees MONOPOLY, poured her heart and soul into this project, along with our MONOPOLY graphic designer, Johnny Lopes . They did an incredible job crafting the visual storytelling across the packaging, game board, and cards.

Collaboration is key. ??

We began by developing a plan with our cross-functional team, followed by extensive research and brainstorming. From there, we brought in as many creative minds as possible to generate ideas, push beyond the expected, and explore bold new directions. After that, we tested with fans to see what resonates with them, before refining and finalizing the design.

It’s always an incredibly collaborative process. Our game designers, (led by Christian Castro ), our narrative designers (led by Amanda DiSanto ), and my team of graphic designers work together to craft gameplay experiences, storytelling, and visual strategy. We collaborate through every stage of development – and the development process is very different from project to project.

Some games lean more heavily into the game design and require a lighter visual storytelling touch, like Hypershot, one of our more active games. Other games rely heavily on storytelling and visual strategy like CLUE which has rich lore, character development, and location design or our card games that have a unique theme and series of card illustrations that engage the consumer in a whole different way, like Piggy Piggy. There’s always variety— so there is never a dull moment!

The result.

We revamped the game’s design and released three Expansion Packs to shake up gameplay: MONOPOLY Go to Jail, MONOPOLY Buy Everything, and MONOPOLY Free Parking Jackpot. With the upgraded look, sleeker and more compact package, and new ways to play, we feel we’ve designed a refreshed game that fans can continue to enjoy across generations.

The good, the great, and the challenging. ??

The biggest challenge was striking the right balance between nostalgia and forward-thinking design. MONOPOLY already has such extensive brand awareness that we had to navigate a world of expectations shaped by people’s preconceived notions and existing biases. But honestly, that challenge was part of the joy.

Breaking through dated ways of thinking and landing in a creatively powerful place is deeply satisfying—almost magical.

On the other hand, the best part of this process has been celebrating the results. This was one of the most challenging redesigns we’ve tackled and seeing the solution be so well received makes the time and teamwork that we put in all the more rewarding.

The best part of the job.?

I’m constantly inspired by my team—their skill, passion, and resilience is incredible. No matter how tight our schedules get, their work is always amazing, and the results never fail to impress me.

The best part of this job is that there are always new games to create, brands to build, and adventures to dive into— and each one brings fresh challenges, creative opportunities, and the chance to make something unforgettable together.

MONOPOLY Fun Facts

• Originally released in 1935, MONOPOLY quickly became a game night phenomenon. By 1936, production reached 20,000 board games a week to meet high demand.
• MONOPOLY has over 1 billion tabletop players across 114 countries.
• Scopely’s MONOPOLY GO! was the biggest mobile launch of 2023 and the fastest casual game to surpass $1B in review.
• MONOPOLY has over 300 licensed versions of the board game—including MONOPOLY Wicked, MONOPOLY Harry Potter, and MONOPOLY Pokémon.