Set Of Near-Perfect Original Pokemon Games Sell For Millions
A Near-Perfect Set Of All Three Original Pokemon Games Just Sold For $2 Million
We already live in a world where sought-after games from years past in good condition can fetch millions at auction. That trend is only going to become more popular as physical games become more scarce, as demonstrated by a set of Pokemon games that just sold for $2 million at auction.
First Print Copies Of Sealed Pokemon Games Sell For $2 Million
Via: The Edge SUSUThe three games in question are the Game Boy titles that started it all - Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Yellow. Red and Blue were first released outside of Japan (where they were called Red and Green), with the Pikachu-themed Yellow coming a little while later.
Nostalgix founder Nathan Howerton, who handled the $2 million sale of the three Pokemon games, broke down the finer details to IGN. The first print copies of the games are all still sealed, and two of them received perfect 10 grades from PSA. The only one that didn’t was the sealed copy of Pokemon Blue, which got a 9.8, so almost certainly the most pristine copies of all three games that still exist 30 years on from their original release.
Howerton notes that a game being awarded a perfect 10 by PSA is almost unheard of. That speaks to the condition that these games are in. That was also demonstrated by the pristine copy of Super Mario Bros. that sold for a record-breaking $3 million earlier this year. The $2 million paid for these Pokemon games is now the second most video games have ever sold for at auction, joint with the $2 million copy of Super Mario Bros. that had its record broken by the same game.
The Near-Perfect Pokemon Games Will Become A Part Of The Dubai Collection
The games have been bought by the curators of The Dubai Collection, one of the biggest and most valuable collections of video games and trading cards in the world. Since the $3 million copy of Super Mario Bros. is not a part of that collection, the first print Pokemon games will now become the most valuable video games in the collection.
Video games being viewed in the same regard as rare collectibles like trading cards, comic books, and action figures is still a relatively new phenomenon. However, it has already reached a stage where beloved games from 30+ years ago are beginning to fetch staggering amounts at auction, provided they’re in good condition. There are almost certainly more copies out there somewhere, too. Not necessarily of these games, or in perfect condition like these ones, but old games, untouched and forgotten about for decades, that might now be worth thousands, if not millions.
That want to own copies of these games is only going to continue to grow as the industry continues to move away from physical releases. PlayStation remains steadfast in its desire to ditch discs entirely starting in 2028 despite ongoing backlash. Physical collectors who don’t want to be a part of that future may now focus their time, and their dollars, on building collections of old games they love rather than buying digital copies of new releases.