Want a stake in IFC, Harbour City? Mobile game Landlord Go gives Hong Kong’s would-be property tycoons a taste of the Li Ka-shing high life
- Augmented reality game based on Monopoly gives Hongkongers a taste of what it’s like to buy and sell in the world’s least affordable property market
- Billionaire Li’s Cheung Kong Center is one of 300,000 properties listed in the game
For many Hongkongers the dream of owning a home in the world’s most expensive property market is far-fetched. As for aspirations of becoming a real estate tycoon, building up a multibillion dollar property empire and leasing out space in some of the city’s most famous skyscrapers … dream on!
But now everyday people can at least get a taste of what it’s like to be a wealthy landlord, thanks to a new augmented reality mobile game.
Landlord Go takes the concept of the classic board game Monopoly to the next level, enabling players to buy, sell and rent out space in digital buildings set in their actual locations. They can put properties on the market or engage in furious bidding wars with other players.
Since its launch in July, Landlord Go, developed by UK-based Reality Games, has been downloaded over a million times globally.
Among its most avid players are some 45,000 Hongkongers trading virtual ownership of about 300,000 real properties. They can rake in billions by flipping properties or collecting rent on the city’s most iconic towers, including the International Finance Centre in Central and Hong Kong’s biggest shopping centre, Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Another prize asset up for grabs is the Cheung Kong Center, owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing, arguably the city’s most famous magnate, who made his fortune in property.
“When I was in Hong Kong, I was fascinated by the rows upon rows of buildings. Let’s just say it is not possible for most people in real life to have a stake in those towers,” said John Woznowski, the chief executive of Reality Games. “That is why the game is a hot catch here in the city. It [gives you] what you cannot do in real life.”
Unlike traditional Monopoly, Landlord Go enables players to walk around and explore the properties they want to invest in. The more of a player’s rivals then visit the place, the higher the property’s value goes.