Final Fantasy VII gets an unexpected board game spin-off in the form of an official Monopoly set, promising players the chance to search for 'business opportunities' in Midgar.
The world and characters of Final Fantasy VII are no strangers to breaking off from the original game into a variety of spin-offs. The title received a movie follow-up in the form of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, while the game also branched out into other video games including Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core. However, the most recent use of one of the best JRPGs of all time takes the game in a different direction altogether - an official Monopoly board.
The business-focused game might not be exactly what fans think of when Final Fantasy VII is mentioned, but that's exactly where the title is going. According to the Monopoly set's listing at Merchoid, the board will allow gamers to "delve into the evolving city of Midgar in search of the latest business opportunities." What does this entail exactly? Merchoid has suggested that players may "buy up a string of plots for housing development for the people, or go industrial and build a Mako reactor plant."
That may not sound very much like the Final Fantasy VII that fans remember, but apparently there are going to be some strong ties to the original game. The set will include characters and locations from the JRPG, although exactly which characters will be involved has yet to be confirmed. The Monopoly board is currently available to preorder for $49.99, and is scheduled to ship on April 14, 2017.
Final Fantasy VII may seem like a bit of an odd choice for a Monopoly set. After all, the city of Midgar is hardly a great place to live, and some may even consider it to be one of the worst video game cities. What's more, given the events that occur over the course of Final Fantasy VII, any gamers with foresight would be more than a little hesitant to gamble on the property market.
That said, this is far from the only time that a video game property has made a splash in Monopoly form. Fallout-themed Monopoly was released to coincide with the launch of Fallout 4, while the Assassin's Creed franchise also received a Monopoly board. More light-hearted video game worlds have also made the jump into the business-themed board game, including Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda.
With the Final Fantasy 7 Monopoly set not releasing until next year, fans of the title have a little while to wait. Then again, they may well be used to that by now, with many patiently hoping for more news on the remake of Final Fantasy VII. With the episodes of this remake set to be full-sized games, hopefully this Monopoly board isn't the only thing worth waiting for.
Final Fantasy VII Monopoly is due to ship on April 14, 2017.
Source: Merchoid