It’s been rumoured for quite some time, but images and details about a brand new Animal Crossing version of Monopoly have just surfaced online.
And fans of both classic games are understandably pretty excited about it.
Although still yet to be acknowledged or announced by either Nintendo or Hasbro, and not expected to be released in the UK until August, pictures of the highly-anticipated board game have been doing the rounds on social media thanks to a leak on Reddit yesterday.
News of the game’s upcoming release also caused a fan frenzy after being shared with money-savvy shoppers on the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK community on Facebook.
According to gaming news platform Nintendo Wire, Monopoly: Animal Crossing is based on the colourful and creative world of the popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons video game, is aimed at players aged eight and over, and “brings you villager tokens and new ways to play, with collecting, world-building and of course, Bells.”
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Players will need to roll the special dice to see what surprises are under every Animal Crossing-themed card, and there’s also a Nook’s Cranny dice that determines which type of resources can be sold.
The highly-anticipated board game is expected to be released in the UK on an unconfirmed date in August / Credit: Nintendo / Hasbro
So, how do you secure the win, then?
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Well, in this Animal Crossing version of the classic Monopoly game, up to four players choose ‘Skill Cards’ to use throughout the game, and by moving around the board with custom tokens inspired by the video game, you complete island tasks and meet other characters.
Instead of buying properties and paying rent like Monopoly fans may be used to, players collect bugs, fish, fossils, and fruit instead, and you can also stop at Nook’s Cranny to cash in ‘Bells’ to buy decorations.
These decorations are worth ‘Nook Miles’ – and the player with the most Nook Miles accumulated at the end, wins the game.
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If Monopoly: Animal Crossing sounds like the kind of thing you’d whip out at your next game night, then keep your eyes peeled for official UK release dates that are sure to be announced very soon.
Featured Image – Nintendo / Hasbro
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Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Nathan Aspinall urges PDPA to improve mental health support within the sport
Danny Jones
Local sports personality Nathan Aspinall has urged the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) to provide better mental health support moving forward.
It’s not the first time ‘The Asp’ has called for more awareness and provision when it comes to player welfare and mental wellbeing, specifically, which remains a prevailing societal problem in general.
The Greater Manchester native has opened up about his own struggles many times in the past and has made a public plea for the PDPA to intervene and offer more help.
Speaking at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championships after his opening round victory, the 34-year-old instead chose to focus on more important issues than his strong start.
As you can see, Aspinall began by stating that “the PDPA now need to step in and help these guys because there’s a lot of guys suffering.”
Having long been an champion for male mental health, in particular – supporting the local Healthy Minds practices in his hometown of Stockport, for instance – he’s been one of the outspoken player on the subject for some time.
Noting that there are at least “two or three people” he refused to name, his message was simple: “There’s a lot of fantastic dart players in our sport, but it’ll be a shame to see so many of them go because of mental health”
The 2019 UK Open and 2023 World Matchplay winner has battled with multiple obstacles, including an ocular condition known as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, as well bursitis, which causes inflammation around key joints.
But it’s not necessarly injuries and the physical side of things that have been his biggest concern.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
"I really do not care anymore.
"I do everything I can to be a good sportsman and you still get s**t. So you know what? I don't care. Say what you want." pic.twitter.com/mCBjQ6kvyj
One of the biggest and most recurring challenges for him has been ‘dartitis’, which many players within the discipline wrestle with the more their careers progress.
Aspinall has confessed to suffering almost chronic panic attacks due to the mental blocks (also commonly known as ‘the yips’) brought about by the intense pressure of playing on stage/live on TV.
With that in mind, it’s great to see him not only back on form and pulling impressive performance such as his ‘big fish’ finish on Friday night, but continuing to draw more attention to the underlying mental health crisis, especially among men. Well played, Nath.
You can watch his post-match interview in full down below.
Emily Sergeant -
7th July 2021 
