UPDATE: After much criticism, Hasbro revealed that it will include a Rey token in all future versions of itsStar Wars-themed Monopoly game, per Variety.
Toy giant Hasbro explainedit did not include Rey, the protagonist of The Force Awakens,in its current Star Wars Monopoly game in order toavoid spoiling the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The latest iteration of the classic board game was released in September, months before The Force Awakens arrived in theaters, and featured tokens of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader alongside new characters Kylo Ren and Finn. Despite the inclusion of the latter two, a Hasbro spokesperson said Rey was not included to avoid revealing a key plot line that she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance.
Hasbros explanation arrivesafter anger over Reys absence from both the Monopoly game and other Force Awakens toys spread from social media and fan sitesinto the mainstream. The recent surge was sparked by a letter written by an eight-year-old fan named Annie who astutely noted Without [Rey], there is no Force Awakens! which wentviral after beingposted to Twitterby her mother.
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Rey has, however, been included in other new Star Wars-branded games like Guess Who? and Hands Down. A spokesperson promised the character, played by Daisy Ridley, would continue to appear on other toys and said Hasbro is thrilled with the popularity of this compelling character and will continue to look for ways to showcase Rey across all of our product lines.
Amidst the criticism, Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to dominate the box officeand is expected surpass Avataras the highest-grossing feature in U.S. history this weekend, per The Hollywood Reporter. The trade also notedthe premium cable network Starz has acquired the TV rights to the film as part of a deal with Disney that also included every movie the studio released through 2015.