A sealed copy of Nintendo’s classic Super Mario Bros. may be the most expensive game ever. The copy is currently being auctioned and the current bid (at the time of writing) is sitting at $310,000.
The Super Mario series has been in the news repeatedly as of late, for different reasons. Just last week, Nintendo celebrated the grand opening of Super Nintendo World, a Super Mario influenced theme park in Universal Studios Japan. The Super Mario franchise has been beloved by fans since its beginning in the 1980s, and that adoration could be what makes Super Mario Bros. the most expensive gaming purchase.
Yesterday, GameSpot reported that a mint condition, sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. was up for auction, with the current bid at the time of writing sitting at $310k. As GameSpot notes, the game is still wrapped in plastic, has its cardboard perforation intact, and has been, “rated at a 9.6/10 in terms of its quality,” by Heritage Auctions, the auction website selling the game.
For context, the most expensive video game-related auction was the mythological Nintendo/Sony hybrid console a.k.a the Super NES CD-ROM. The console never made it to production, as disagreements between Nintendo and Sony put an end to the project before it really got started (which is far from the first time Nintendo decided to cancel collaborative projects with other game companies). Just last year, a prototype sold for $380k in another auction, making it the most expensive video game item purchase. The Super Mario Bros. auction is set to end April 4, which may end up being enough time for it to dethrone the Super NES CD-ROM.
Last year marked the 35th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. and the festivities saw the (apparently time-limited) release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which fans have both enjoyed and criticized for different reasons. More than anything, the criticisms come from a place of love; fans love the Super Mario series, and just want to enjoy more quality content from it. As for the auction however, it is VERY unlikely that the game will sell for over a quarter million, just to be opened and played.
Going back to the Super NES CD-ROM sale, the eventual owner was the founder of Pets.com, Greg McLemore. McLemore said he planned to open a museum and put the console on display for fans to visit. It is possible that whoever ends up with this copy of Super Mario Bros. could end up doing something similar – only time will tell.
