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EA details plans for Hasbro brands

Nerf and Littlest Pet Shop arrive in the fall for DS and Wii, followed by multiplatform versions of Monopoly, Scrabble, and more.

When Electronic Arts picked up the rights to a variety of Hasbro games last August, it had a slew of new toys to play with it when it came to licensed casual games. Specifically, the agreement gave EA's casual gaming division the chance to make games based on brands like Monopoly, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Nerf, Tonka, and Littlest Pet Shop.

Today EA Casual Entertainment revealed the first concrete glimpse of its Hasbro plans, announcing that the first two console and handheld games to come from the deal will be Littlest Pet Shop and Nerf N-Strike. Both games are being developed by EA's Salt Lake Studio, and will see release this fall on the Nintendo DS and the Wii. A PC edition of Littlest Pet Shop is also in the works.

Littlest Pet Shop will allow players to run their own pet stores, "building relationships" with their products and unlocking new animals, accessories, and playsets. EA will sell three different versions of the game, each with unique pets.

As for Nerf N-Strike, the game is based on the line of soft foam-firing toy guns, and includes perhaps the least deadly deathmatch modes of all time with single and multiplayer modes. EA is also promising a new Nerf blaster that will allow players to "take the action outside as their controller transforms to fire actual NERF darts."

Naturally, EA's plans for the Hasbro brands extend beyond those two titles. The publisher also confirmed that it is working on multiplatform versions of Monopoly and Scrabble, as well as other games to be revealed by the end of the year and a full slate of mobile titles and Pogo.com online offerings.

51 Comments

  • WiWinston

    Posted May 5, 2008 5:05 pm GMT

    oh great. more shovelware for the Wii.

  • zoe256

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 3:36 am GMT

    Littlest Pet Shop?! SWEET!

  • BewilderedRonin

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 10:05 pm GMT

    EA didn't acquire the DnD license from Hasbro? So, that means Atari still holds onto it? Great... either no good DnD games for a whilst or else Atari will try to milk the DnD license and push out utter tripe. Either way, not good for RPG fans.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 1:36 pm GMT

    wow, that's about all I could say, because that sure doesn't sound exciting

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 10:43 am GMT

    NERF games... the point of nerf is so you can shoot stuff without getting hurt. Which games provide in the first place. So what is the point of a nerf game?

  • SLjimbolian

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 10:23 am GMT

    Is there anything not published by EA?

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 8:38 am GMT

    Littlest Petshop -- awe... I am surprised this isn't on XBLA. They would probably make a killing on selling downloadable pets.

    I was getting real upset until the end when they confirmed that Monopoly is in the works. They would have to be brain-dead not to release this game. They should make Monopoly cross-platform for PS3, PC, and Xbox360. It would be awesome to have all three types of gamers battling it out on the virtual board.

    I'm excited about Monopoly because I just don't have enough people that live near me any more to come and play. So this gives me an online option to play with the people I want to play with.

    EA better not screw Monopoly up or there's gonna be some pay-back!! Errrrrrr.....

  • trdrstv

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 5:44 am GMT

    @raverrozza "monopoly and scrabble are two perfect examples of games which if you want to play you should be forced to venture into the outside world and find some friends to play it with you on an actual board and not on your own or over the internet."

    The issue is after college a bunch of us dispersed and are all over the US. We get together like once a year but still play online, so despite local muliplayer being better (I agree) it isn't always practical, and I prefer both as an option. As a note, Scrabble better be WiiWare that can use the DS for your tiles so you CAN do local multiplayer...

  • steveguttenberg

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 4:57 am GMT

    Hey, where's GI Joe? They haven't had a game since the NES. Seems like an obvious one to me...

  • Sam_Lowery

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 4:26 am GMT

    "EA will sell three different versions of the game, each with unique pets."
    .
    Why sell people just one game when you can chop it into pieces and sell each piece as a game. Monopoly might be fun if EA doesn't ruin the experience with in game advertising.

  • raverrozza

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 3:44 am GMT

    monopoly and scrabble are two perfect examples of games which if you want to play you should be forced to venture into the outside world and find some friends to play it with you on an actual board and not on your own or over the internet.

  • Aquachild

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 3:07 am GMT

    Scrabble and Monopoly would make great Xbox Live Arcade games but chances are that they're gonna make 'em into store-bought games just to make money. Greedy punks.

  • Azwhtknight

    Posted Feb 12, 2008 1:55 am GMT

    I would love to see some classic board games hit consoles. Monopoly, Yahtzee, Risk, Life, Stratego.....ect. As for the whole Nerf control idea, I guess that by making it so you can use it apart from the console, they figure on selling a lot of them to replace the ones that kids break outside. Good for marketing, bad for parents.

  • C-Brock

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 10:17 pm GMT

    trdrstv - That was called Nerf: Arena Blast. I found that back in June in an old stack of my friends PC games. We booted that up using Vista and played for about 15 minutes then it crashed. We both were like "Sheeeeiiiit!". What a tight game, though

  • LancerVI

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 9:22 pm GMT

    Screw Hasbro and Universal Interactive. Microprose and Origin would be great to have back. Two of the greatest of the fallen, IMO.

    Lancer VI

  • PumpkinBoogie

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 9:19 pm GMT

    @ Montrealien

    Hellz yeah, I'm with you I'd definitely love to see Monopoly and Scrabble on the PSN (or XBL)--call me geeky but I'd definitely download 'em in quick minute, LOL. Honestly, I noticed that's the only thing PSN doesn't have a lot of--board or puzzle-type branded games--so it'd certainly be interesting to see.

  • theclaw135

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 9:14 pm GMT

    Eh. I wish Hasbro Interactive and Universal Interactive brands would return.

  • Snake329

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 8:28 pm GMT

    great

  • X-RS

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 7:34 pm GMT

    if theres one thing ea knows best, its monopoly.

  • trdrstv

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 7:12 pm GMT

    Actually, a NERF game could be fun. I remember they made "NERF AREANA" or something to that effect off of the Quake3 engine and it it was pretty fun. Hopefully they can do something like that, oh, and online Risk / Monopoly would be awesome if you can also save game in progress, to be continued another night.

  • WINDWAKER1

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 6:55 pm GMT

    Great Idea. Can't wait to see it in action.

  • Montrealien

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 6:04 pm GMT

    To all the EA bashers, pls, it is getting really old. As for the News at hand, can only by good news. Especialy if we get some sort of downloadable versions of,

    Clue
    Monopoly
    Risk

    Just those three on XBLA/PSN and we got heavy downloads. Hasbro has been smart keeping their IP is the dark for a while, time to cash in,

  • Merl57

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 5:39 pm GMT

    uh i dont feel optimistic about this

  • SkilledBeast

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 5:21 pm GMT

    YESSSSSSSS

    Finally, possibly risk, scrabble, and monopoly coming

    wicked excited

  • haesuse

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 4:56 pm GMT

    you guys might be getting ahead of yourself. EA has had LESS than stellar track record, specially with ANY kind of new IP. i'd wait and see if some of the Hasbro goodness translates well before i'd get my hope up!

  • nickythenewt21

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 4:36 pm GMT

    Monopoly+Online mode=Heaven. Nuff said.

  • Nxss-effa-sim

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 4:04 pm GMT

    Monopoly is the best, Monopoly played online; even better. Just wish I could have purchased the new edition with the debit cards, it looks so much more hassle free than dealing with paper money.

  • CyberElfSlut

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 3:38 pm GMT

    Good friend of mine who is a Playstation addict did that with his gal - she still is not really into video games but she at least 'gets it', since you have to pry her kicking and screaming away from Bejewelled on the PC.

    Bejwelled today.

    Puzzle Quest tommorrow.

    Then you've won.

  • BigC43

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 3:36 pm GMT

    XBLA version of Monopoly would be amazing. I would play that all the time.

  • EPaul

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 2:27 pm GMT

    Monopoly online would be pretty cool i love that game

  • SKaREO

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 2:13 pm GMT

    Hasbro and EA are going to feel the next recession hit hard. You can see them preparing for it. Valve is still the reigning champ. Instead of buying other brand names that sheeple gravitate toward, Valve innovates new games that most hardcore gamers want to play.

    Everyone should boycott EA and Hasbro and put them where they belong, in a hole.

  • rasterror

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 2:08 pm GMT

    console-deity

    I can see why you're gonna be single for the rest of your life. I bet e-Harmony banned you, didn't they?

  • PacoL250

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 2:07 pm GMT

    Hmm, I wonder if the Wii Zapper will work with this...

    @console-deity: Hmm...I'll be surprised if you're not single with that attitude of yours toward women.

    Seriously this is how you think: "...the girls who like bejewelled and crap like that suck and I'd never date an under-evolved woman of that sort. If a girl wont play a real video game I think she should be stuffed in a garbage bag and taken to your local landfill." ?

    That's not even taken out of context. Pathetic. Learn to accept differences. Oh and by the way, Bejeweled involves a lot more thinking than your brain can seemingly handle. Next we'll be hearing from you that Tetris is crap.

    Let us know when you're out of the Dark Ages.

  • SaintRasmus

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 2:06 pm GMT

    I just remembered that i got a old game called Monopoly Party to the old xbox. What was i thinking. Ha Ha Maybe i shut try to find it.

  • rasterror

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 1:54 pm GMT

    It's better than a game about the movie Juno. I guess it's an underage modified version of "Hot Coffee"? Then a lot of collect the pregnancy test, vomit in the toilet, find a job, press the button press the button repeatedly to pop out the baby? I'd rather play the nerf game.

  • SaintRasmus

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 1:54 pm GMT

    Yahtzee,Scrabble on a platform, i dont see it, maybe Risk or Monopoly.

  • Nintendo_Ownes7

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 1:03 pm GMT

    The Nerf Game might be Fun I will rent it on the Wii, but I don't really know how good it will be because it is EA.

  • darthzew

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:57 pm GMT

    A Nerf video game!!!! I CARE!!!!!!! not! An XBLA monopoly would be awesome, though!

  • Thorpe89

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:50 pm GMT

    Hopefully an XBLA version of Monopoly. I would get that.

  • JackfnBurton

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:45 pm GMT

    You know, I used to be one of those 'If you want a board game, GET A BOARD GAME' sort of people until I realized something. Girls who happen to hate video games often tend to LOVE that stuff, so often the best way to get your girlfriend to quit complaining about your video game addiction (short of not playing, which is unthinkable) is to show her Scrabble or Sudoku or Bejewelled or something. They LOVE it. Good friend of mine who is a Playstation addict did that with his gal - she still is not really into video games but she at least 'gets it', since you have to pry her kicking and screaming away from Bejewelled on the PC. So devious. So very, very devious...soon, they will join us. All of them. Oh and for those who tend not to read very carefully I realize some girls DO like video games, I am talking about the ones who DON'T. You have to do those 'don't drink the bleach' disclaimers these days, unfortunately. LOL

  • HAMMER261266

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:43 pm GMT

    Risk

  • gord_mose

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:39 pm GMT

    Give me something on XBLA or forget it!

  • X-RS

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:28 pm GMT

    what about a go board game (pente, gomoku, etc.)

  • hunter8man

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:22 pm GMT

    Hmm, online Monopoly and Scrabble? This could turn out to be fun.

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:19 pm GMT

    monopoly again? good

  • P08C

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 12:16 pm GMT

    my girlfriend has been picking up the ps3 controller for the first time in her life playing games like sudoku and super rub-a-dub she would be absolutely thrilled if scrabble came to the ps3....her favorite board game of all time!

  • Slayer420

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 11:28 am GMT

    Yahtzee!!! I used to play the bejezus out of the old PC version of Yahtzee. Great game that is fun with a few friends.. Hopefully that is one that gets some love.

  • tenorio_rotc

    Posted Feb 11, 2008 11:18 am GMT

    lots of board games could be coming to xbox live, sounds good.

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