Italian police smash counterfeit retro games ring worth £42m

Authorities seized over 12,000 fake Nintendo, Sega, and Atari consoles.

Image credit: Nintendo

Police have arrested nine Italian nationals thought to be selling counterfeit retro games and consoles for a video game trafficking ring estimated to be worth almost £42m (€50m / $55.5m).

The pirated material included 12,000 counterfeit “Nintendo, Sega, and Atari” consoles holding 47m fake versions of retro games like Mario Bros., Street Fighter, and Star Wars.

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As reported by the BBC, Turin police confirmed the devices – which were using non-certified electronics and batteries that did not meet EU safety standards – were being sold online or to specialist shops.

All goods have since been destroyed. If found guilty, the defendants face up to eight years in prison.

Retro games – and the tech needed to run them – are big business. A couple of years ago, a rare, sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $2 million (£1.44m).

The record-breaking auction followed the sale of another pristine sealed copy of Super Mario 64, which sold for $1.56m (£1.12m).