The game was developed by Las Vegas software development company Westwood Studios, on behalf of publisher Hasbro Electronic Entertainment (later Hasbro Interactive). The division was created by Hasbro in 1995 to create video game adaptions of their most popular titles. In a May 1995 edition of Bangor Daily News, it was reported that Hasbro Interactive was currently testing the game, which the company claimed would be the first to have a multiplayer feature allowing players to play each other over the Internet. While Hasbro stockholders expected to see the game during the company's annual New York City meeting on May 12, 1995, the game was officially previewed at the 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Monopoly was released in September 1995 to coincide with the board game's 60th anniversary, allowing over 23 million players to play in a variety of languages; the game offered immediate translations of currency exchange and properties, allowing international players to view regional versions of the game when playing.
