{"rewrite":{"id":"r_e06bdb5f428c69ddf3577d83","clusterId":"c_590141b5f2fa5e71dc0f8be5","slug":"unopened-nes-super-mario-bros-copy-sells-for-3-million-setting-new-record","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Unopened NES Super Mario Bros. Copy Sells for $3 Million, Setting New Record","summary":"An unopened copy of the NES game Super Mario Bros. sold at Heritage Auctions for $3 million (about 480 million yen), the highest price ever paid for a video game. The sale has drawn skepticism online due to past allegations of market manipulation involving the auction house and grading service Wata Games.","whyItMatters":"The sale breaks the previous record of $660,000 set by the same auction house in 2021, but public distrust from a 2021-2022 class-action lawsuit alleging price manipulation casts doubt on the legitimacy of the new high.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe copy sold for $3 million is an unopened NES Super Mario Bros. with a glossy sticker, a packaging seal used only briefly in early 1986 before Nintendo switched to shrink-wrap. Heritage Auctions said only three such copies are known to exist, and this one received a PSA grade of 9.6 A++. The lot also included an original NES console in its box. On Reddit and Kotaku, commenters have expressed skepticism, pointing to a 2021-2022 class-action lawsuit that accused Wata Games, Heritage Auctions, and certain collectors of conspiring to inflate retro game prices through fraudulent auction results and media coverage.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"The $3 million Super Mario Bros. sale breaks the video game auction record, but the same auction house and grading service face past manipulation allegations that undercut the price's credibility.","twitterPost":"Super Mario Bros. just set a $3 million record. Past manipulation allegations against Heritage and Wata make the price hard to trust.","threadsPost":"The $3 million Super Mario Bros. sale is a record, but Heritage Auctions and Wata Games carry past manipulation allegations. The price is the story. The trust question is the subtext.","newsletterBlurb":"An unopened copy of NES Super Mario Bros. sold for $3 million at Heritage Auctions, the highest price ever for a video game. The sale has sparked skepticism online due to a past class-action lawsuit alleging price manipulation by the auction house and grading service Wata Games.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/15/167988.html\",\"title\":\"Unopened NES 'Super Mario Bros.' Sells for Approximately 480 Million Yen, Becoming the Most Expensive Video Game Ever; Some Question Price Manipulation Amid Past Controversies\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3951,"outputTokens":575,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781503805,"createdAt":"2026-06-15T06:01:17.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-15T06:04:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-15T06:04:57.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_590141b5f2fa5e71dc0f8be5","canonicalTitle":"NES『スーパーマリオブラザーズ』未開封品が約4.8億円で落札―ビデオゲーム史上最高額に。過去の騒動から価格操作を疑う声も","representativeArticleId":"a_5ef5f43089f0f083f4c0138f","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Super Mario Bros.\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-15T05:15:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-15T05:15:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-15T06:04:57.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/15/167988.html","title":"NES『スーパーマリオブラザーズ』未開封品が約4.8億円で落札―ビデオゲーム史上最高額に。過去の騒動から価格操作を疑う声も"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Super Mario Bros."],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["An unopened NES Super Mario Bros. copy sold for $3 million at Heritage Auctions, the highest price ever paid for a video game.","The copy has a glossy sticker packaging seal used only briefly in early 1986 before Nintendo switched to shrink-wrap; only three such copies are known to exist.","The lot included an original NES console in its box, and the game received a PSA grade of 9.6 A++.","The sale broke the previous record of $660,000 set by the same auction house in 2021.","Skepticism online references a 2021-2022 class-action lawsuit alleging Heritage Auctions, grading service Wata Games, and collectors conspired to inflate retro game prices."]}