'Super Mario 64' Cartridge Sold for 1.8 Billion KRW at Auction... Highest Price for a Video Game

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] An unopened cartridge of Nintendo's 'Super Mario 64' has set a new record for the highest auction price for a video game, breaking the record just two days after the previous sale.

According to the BBC on the 12th (local time), the 'Super Mario 64' cartridge was sold for $1.56 million (approximately 1.78 billion KRW) at Heritage Auctions in the United States the day before.

Heritage Auctions stated that the final bid price included the final offer of $1.3 million (approximately 1.48 billion KRW) plus a 20% buyer's premium.

This amount is nearly double the previous record of $870,000 (approximately 1 billion KRW), which was set two days earlier by the same auction house for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) 'The Legend of Zelda' cartridge.

'Super Mario 64' was a launch title for the Nintendo 64 console released in 1996, originally priced at $60 (approximately 68,000 KRW).

It is recognized as the best-selling game on the Nintendo 64 system and is considered an important game in video game history, as it was the first time the protagonist Mario entered a three-dimensional space.

The cartridge auctioned this time was in excellent condition, receiving the highest grade of 9.8 A++ out of 10 from video game grading company Wata Games.

However, the BBC reported that some are concerned the market may be overheated, given that 'Super Mario 64,' which sold millions of copies, was sold at such a high price.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.