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Italian police announced on Friday that they had seized counterfeit retro gaming consoles and video games worth nearly €50 million ($55.5 million).
The seized items, which originated from China, included imitations of classic consoles such as those from Nintendo, Sega, and Atari, as well as pirated versions of popular games like Mario Bros., Street Fighter, and Star Wars.
This bust is part of the larger trend of “retrogaming,” where decades-old video games and consoles have seen a resurgence in popularity through re-releases.
Counterfeit Retro Gaming Seizure and Investigation
According to a BBC report, the operation, led by Alessandro Langella, a Turin financial police official specializing in economic crime, resulted in the seizure of 12,000 counterfeit consoles, each pre-loaded with an average of 4,000 pirated games. The total number of illegal video game copies seized amounted to over 47 million.
12,000 Fake Nintendo And Sega Consoles To Be Destroyed In Major Retro Gaming Bust
>Italy's financial police said on Friday they have dismantled a ring trafficking counterfeit vintage video game consoles from China containing some of the most popular titles of the 1980s and 90s.… pic.twitter.com/RZ9Nr5FXAT
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) September 16, 2024
According to Langella, the counterfeit products were imported into Italy from China with the intent to sell them through online retailers and retro gaming stores.
While the total estimated value of the seized goods was said to be approximately €47.5 million ($52.6 million), Langella did not elaborate on how this figure was calculated.
However, given that many all-in-one retro gaming consoles available for purchase retail for under $100 and come with tens of thousands of games pre-installed, authorities believe that the actual revenue generated from these devices would have likely been much lower than the value of the pirated games they contained.
Consequently, nine individuals, all Italian nationals, are currently under investigation for their involvement in fraudulent trading and copyright infringement of the retro gaming consoles.
If found guilty, they could face up to eight years in prison. Additionally, all confiscated video games and consoles have been destroyed to prevent any further resale attempts.
Risks and Market Impact of Pirated Retro Consoles
Beyond the piracy concerns, another issue raised by authorities was the safety of the counterfeit consoles.
These devices were found to contain uncertified electrical circuits and batteries that failed to meet European Union (EU) safety and technical standards, posing potential risks to consumers.
The EU has the strongest consumer protection rules in the world. 🇪🇺
Today's report shows a record number of actions taken to protect European consumers from dangerous products in 2019:
⚠️ 2,243 alerts led to 4,477 follow-up actions, compared to 4050 in 2018. #ProductSafety
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) July 7, 2020
This case also highlights the rising popularity of retro gaming consoles, many of which function as emulators with thousands of classic games.
According to a 2023 study by the Video Game History Foundation, only 13% of games released before 2010 are currently available for purchase through legitimate means.
