Season 4 of Stranger Things is coming up, and excited fans are anticipating the new lore and terrifying stories the new season will tell. Unfortunately for fans who decided to pick up the licensed Monopoly tie-in, though, a frustrating surprise lies in wait.
The Netflix series Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and since then has amassed a large following through effective sci-fi horror. The show is quite story-heavy, naturally meaning information leaks can heavily fuel fan theories.
Images of a recently-released Stranger Things-themed Monopoly variant have started circulating online, and it seems the designers may have had early access to Season 4 plot points. Images from the game are circulating showing cards that reveal major spoilers for Season 4, originating from a now-deleted Reddit post showing cards that reference things that were not yet revealed in Seasons 1-3. Fans looking to experience Season 4 without spoilers should be careful on social media until the season's release, since leaked spoilers tend to travel quickly.
Stranger Things, as a highly popular series, is increasing in budget for Season 4. Reportedly, the budget for Season 4 is roughly $30 million per episode, which would make it among the most expensive TV shows ever. While spoilers cannot "ruin" a show, they can be immensely frustrating for fans; it makes it more difficult to experience subtle buildups and big reveals properly for the first time when they are already known.
Fans are not the only ones who may be frustrated by the unexpected reveals. Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of the show, reportedly had a "total meltdown" over the early reveal. The Duffer brothers are well known to be secretive about the plot of Stranger Things, so naturally early reveals would be upsetting. Hopefully fans can resist the temptation to look into spoilers until after the season is out officially, sticking to official Netflix teasers with fleeting glances into a new major villain.
Season 4 of Stranger Things is approaching the beginning of the end for the show, as Matt and Ross have already confirmed that Season 5 is where the series will end. However, some fans think they are hinting at more story expansions in the future with "more new adventures and stories to be told." These story expansions could take the form of sequels, spinoffs or even branch out into other media entirely if they happen. The possibilities for more stories set in the Stranger Things universe are numerous. For now, though, only a few more days remain until Season 4 launches on Netflix and can be viewed firsthand.
Stranger Things 4, Vol. 1 will release on May 27 on Netflix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter