Donald Trump, now President, has expanded his business interests into cryptocurrencies, following ventures like NFT collections, a memecoin, a stablecoin project, and a Bitcoin mining company co-owned by his sons, Eric and Donald Jr. Recent articles from Fortune, Cryptonomist, Benzinga, TradingView, Cointelegraph, CryptoBriefing, and CryptoSlate, all dated April 15, 2025, confirm the launch of a crypto video game inspired by Monopoly, set for late April 2025. This aligns with Trump’s history of Monopoly-related projects and the growing intersection of gaming and blockchain technology, reflecting broader crypto adoption trends.
Project Details and Developer Involvement
The game is described as a real estate-themed video game with dynamics similar to Monopoly, blending gaming and cryptocurrency elements, per Fortune. It is being developed by Bill Zanker, a longtime Trump associate known for launching Trump’s NFT collections and the Official Trump meme coin, as confirmed across sources. Zanker’s involvement is pivotal, with the game expected to launch by late April 2025, per TradingView and Cointelegraph.
A spokesperson for Zanker, Kevin Mercuri, denied direct similarities to Monopoly, stating, “He is working on a game,” and dismissing Monopoly comparisons as “hearsay,” per Benzinga and CryptoBriefing. However, sources familiar with the project, cited anonymously in Fortune, confirm it resembles MONOPOLY GO!, a mobile game where players travel around a board and build structures to earn in-game currency, suggesting a play-to-earn mechanism.
Game Mechanics and Blockchain Integration
While specific mechanics are not fully disclosed, the game is expected to incorporate blockchain technology, possibly involving tokens or NFTs, as implied in Cryptonomist and CryptoSlate. The play-to-earn model suggests players could earn in-game currency, potentially tokenized, aligning with blockchain gaming trends. Technical details around token integration or smart contract use were not disclosed, per CryptoSlate, indicating ongoing development.
Trump’s history with Monopoly-inspired projects includes “Trump: The Game” launched in 1989, a personalized version of Monopoly, and a 2006 consideration for a reality TV show inspired by the same concept, per Cryptonomist. He stated, “I have always thought that Monopoly was an extraordinary game,” in an interview with the New York Post, reflecting his long-standing interest, per bitcoinethereumnews.com.
Legal and Licensing Considerations
Legal aspects include Zanker’s outreach to Hasbro in May 2024 to seek a license for a Trump-branded Monopoly game, per TradingView and Cointelegraph. Hasbro, which owns the Monopoly brand after acquiring Parker Brothers in 1991, confirmed it has not licensed its intellectual property to any Trump-affiliated organization for a crypto venture, per CryptoBriefing and CryptoSlate. This raises questions about potential trademark or copyright issues, though Zanker’s denial of direct similarities may mitigate legal risks.
Market and Broader Crypto Ventures
This game is part of Trump’s expanding crypto portfolio, which includes:
- NFT collections, launched in previous years, per Benzinga.
- A memecoin, part of World Liberty Financial, per Fortune.
- A stablecoin project, USD1, backed by U.S. government treasuries, per POLITICO.
- A Bitcoin mining company, American Bitcoin, co-owned by Eric and Donald Jr., per CNBC.
This aligns with a pro-crypto U.S. policy environment, including Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve order on March 6, 2025, and appointing Paul Atkins as SEC chair, per Reuters. The game’s launch reflects growing interest in blockchain gaming, with play-to-earn models gaining traction, per CryptoSlate.
Donald Trump launches a crypto video game inspired by MonopolyDonald Trump’s Crypto Footprint Grows: A Monopoly-Style Game May Be Next – Benzinga
