Hasbro has confirmed that at least one of its longstanding and beloved game pieces will be removed from Monopoly following an online vote featuring over four million submissions.

Hasbro kicked off 2017 with a large-scale initiative that allowed fans of its Monopoly line of board games to vote for which of its eight player-used pieces would remain as part of the retail package. Despite holding back on an official announcement of which pieces have made the final cut – opting instead to save that information for World Monopoly Day on March 19, 2017 – the company has taken the liberty of confirming at least one piece that will be shifted out of rotation in the future.

The soon-to-be removed piece in question? Why, it's none other than the loveable Thimble.

Many longtime Monopoly fans will know that this particular piece has been a mainstay of the game for quite some time. Despite this longstanding presence in the board game, however, it appears that fans weren't all too keen at the thought of being represented by the Thimble anymore, opting to remove it from the game entirely. As a result, Hasbro made the following statement today confirming that players will be bidding adieu to the Thimble (via Fortune):

"The Thimble token will not “Pass GO” in the next generation of the Monopoly game."

"Despite being an integral part of day-to-day life when the token was originally added to the game in 1935, the lucky Thimble has lost its 'shine' with today's fans, and will be retired from the game."

With one veteran totem now cast aside, it's possible (if not very likely) that other existing pieces of Monopoly will follow suit. As to what will replace the Thimble, there are a medley of potential candidates that were nominated for inclusion in the next-gen take on the game – ranging from a Tyrannosaurus Rex to Sliced Bread. Admittedly, it'll be interesting to see how the final roster of game pieces plays out, but fans hoping to preserve the original roster of metallic avatars will need to go out and buy an older edition of the game in order to ensure that the Thimble will live on in their play sessions.

While some may be upset by this news, it's important to note that Hasbro has pulled similar marketing tactics in the past, namely when it allowed people to vote online and eventually replace the Iron with a Cat. Regardless of what consumers may say, the need to update Monopoly's totems as years pass is a seemingly necessary move to keep the board game relevant. Although, themed boards (such as Pokemon and Zelda Monopoly editions) have done a good job a stimulating interest in the game.

Just how the final roster of characters will impact sales remains to be seen, but we here at Game Rant salute the Thimble for its years of dedicated service.