The Italian tax police announced last Friday that they seized counterfeit copies of retro games and consoles shipped from China. The authorities said the impounded devices were imitations of the classic Sega, Nintendo, and Atari consoles from the 1980s and 1990s era.
All the seized retro devices were fitted with non-certified batteries and electrical circuits. According to authorities, these fittings fell short of the strict EU technical and safety standards. Popular titles like Star Wars, Street Fighter, and Mario Bros. were among the retro games recovered from the burst.
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A statement by the Guardia di Finanza tax and customs police in Turin said they have seized around 12,000 retro gaming consoles across different provinces in Italy since late 2023. The bulk of the all-in-one consoles available on the market are sold in the $100 range.
The head of the economic crime unit Alessandro Langella added that the seized consoles held around 47 million pirated titles which is cumulatively worth around $52 million. Authorities added they were “all from China” and were imported into the country to be sold in specialized retro game shops or online.
The seized games and consoles have been destroyed while authorities have arrested nine Italian nationals and charged them with multiple crimes including trading in counterfeited goods and copyright infringement. If found guilty, the culprits could spend up to 8 years in prison.
Retro games are seeing a resurgence, especially with the increasing call for the conservation of classic games. In 2021, a sealed copy of Super Mario 64 was auctioned for over $1.5 million which was a record breaker. Weeks later, another copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $2 million.
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Piracy is a huge problem in the video game industry with pirated copies of games being distributed through torrent websites. Earlier this year, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Yuzu Emulator makers leading to the shuttering of the company.
Nintendo said their emulator was used to peddle copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before the game was officially launched.
