Stranger Things is set to return for season 4 after a VERY long hiatus and, of course, Netflix is pulling out all the stops to promote the upcoming season. The problem with one of the promotional tie-ins, however, is that it heavily spoils aspects of season 4 and the show’s creators, The Duffer Brothers, aren’t too pleased about it.
Images have leaked online from the official Netflix Monopoly tie-in game that is attached to season 4. The spoilers come from the images on the game’s cards, which first began circling last month, and they’re said to actually spoil key plot points in several of the new episodes, that we have decided to not reveal here. Netflix was upset about the mishap but The Duffer Brothers were even more furious because they weren’t even consulted about the game. The creative duo value the secrecy of the show and, per The Hollywood Reporter, they reportedly had a “total meltdown” about the mistake.
A thread on Reddit that is devoted to the leak says that the game was bought at “a nationally recognized retailer and purchased fair and square by a consumer. Nobody stole it; nobody leaked a sample.” The purchase details aren’t 100% confirmed but retailers are currently advertising Monopoly games based on past seasons of the show, although there are some purported copies of the leaked season 4 version being advertised on eBay.
The Hollywood Reporter says that the producers have a lot of involvement in the approvals of the vast majority of the promotional materials for the show but a series like Stranger Things has so much scale attached to its marketing and promotional reach that this slip up could’ve easily just snuck through without anyone noticing.
Have YOU seen the Stranger Things Monopoly game that spoils some of season 4? Stranger Things Season 4 Vol.1 hits Netflix on May 27, 2022.