Are retro games getting even more expensive?

[Kane99]

With the whole situation with those grading companies (Wata and some other company, I forget) have kinds spiked the prices of retro games. Or so I think they have. Considering that they helped appraise a new in box SMB3 for like over a million dollars, but when someone else tried to put theirs up for auction, they didn't get nearly that much in return. I feel like those companies are trying to inflate the prices of retro games so that they can get the market to turn more profitable. 

Anyway, I feel like retro games are getting more expensive by the year. Do you guys think that retro games are becoming too expensive these days? Even lose games are getting up there in price. 

[The Blackangel]

Classic ("retro") games are a special class of games that typically only appeal to a niche market. We need to consider a few things here. Collectiblity, and popularity.

As you mentioned the SMB3 game going for over a million. SMB3 was the most monumental game ever created. It back then was like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S is right now. No one could get it because everywhere was sold out. Scalpers were raking it in with people paying $200+ for the game. There were movies based around it and tournaments. It was the inspiration for eSports tournaments that we see today. So a CIB, unwrapped copy is one of the most highly collectible games in existence.

Now you take a game that was either virtually unknown or just not very popular. We'll say Astyanax. Most don't even know of its existence. Hence, they're not looking for it, CIB or otherwise. On eBay, a CIB copy of Astyanax is going for $40-$60 on average. A far cry from the million that was paid for the CIB copy of SMB3.

So it all depends on the game, its popularity, and its collectible factor. Most games aren't all that collectible. Hell even Little Samson couldn't bring in anything even close to what that SMB3 went for. And most games that people are after in the classic market aren't going for more than $100 anyway. And if a game from N64 back reaches $100, that's pretty damn rare, and most likely either a stupid and/or greedy seller.

[Kane99]

1 hour ago, The Blackangel said:

Classic ("retro") games are a special class of games that typically only appeal to a niche market. We need to consider a few things here. Collectiblity, and popularity.

As you mentioned the SMB3 game going for over a million. SMB3 was the most monumental game ever created. It back then was like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S is right now. No one could get it because everywhere was sold out. Scalpers were raking it in with people paying $200+ for the game. There were movies based around it and tournaments. It was the inspiration for eSports tournaments that we see today. So a CIB, unwrapped copy is one of the most highly collectible games in existence.

Now you take a game that was either virtually unknown or just not very popular. We'll say Astyanax. Most don't even know of its existence. Hence, they're not looking for it, CIB or otherwise. On eBay, a CIB copy of Astyanax is going for $40-$60 on average. A far cry from the million that was paid for the CIB copy of SMB3.

So it all depends on the game, its popularity, and its collectible factor. Most games aren't all that collectible. Hell even Little Samson couldn't bring in anything even close to what that SMB3 went for. And most games that people are after in the classic market aren't going for more than $100 anyway. And if a game from N64 back reaches $100, that's pretty damn rare, and most likely either a stupid and/or greedy seller.

True. But you also need to consider that SMB3 was a mass produced game. So there is a very big chance you could still find many sealed copies in pristine condition. I've heard of rare games being found in old untouched warehouses. I wouldn't doubt Nintendo has tons in their own warehouses yet. 

 

Little samson has more of a chance to sell for more due to its rarity. I'm sure if someone had one graded, it could fetch a lot at auction. But who's to say their appraisal is right. These appraisal houses are hard to trust after all the recent news. So the games could be worth even less. 

But I think they're trying to get the market to go up. Even with it being a niche market. They want to catch those who are interested in nostalgia. Half the time these people don't know the market and pay millions for a game. Then you see more popping up at auction in same to similar conditions going for lower and lower at auction.  

[Head_Hunter]

I don't go much for retro kind of games. And when I see that the price is way too high and off my budget. I wouldn't perturb myself too much getting it. I'll simply stay off and go for the option cheaper. 

[The Blackangel]

On 12/23/2021 at 12:41 PM, Kane99 said:

True. But you also need to consider that SMB3 was a mass produced game. So there is a very big chance you could still find many sealed copies in pristine condition. I've heard of rare games being found in old untouched warehouses. I wouldn't doubt Nintendo has tons in their own warehouses yet. 

 

Little samson has more of a chance to sell for more due to its rarity. I'm sure if someone had one graded, it could fetch a lot at auction. But who's to say their appraisal is right. These appraisal houses are hard to trust after all the recent news. So the games could be worth even less. 

But I think they're trying to get the market to go up. Even with it being a niche market. They want to catch those who are interested in nostalgia. Half the time these people don't know the market and pay millions for a game. Then you see more popping up at auction in same to similar conditions going for lower and lower at auction.  

SMB3 was definitely a mass produced game. But you have to realize that due to its popularity, people weren't buying it to collect it. They were desperate to play it. A sealed copy is extremely rare. There are almost none left. To collectors, it's the find of a lifetime. With Little Samson, the most a copy of that has ever sold for is roughly $6000. But that one was perfect condition, sealed, and graded. The reason Little Samson sells for so much is because it was made during the early SNES days when most had upgraded to the SNES and left the NES behind. Hence, not many people bought it, so it became a rare game. People have taken out mortgages and loans to afford some of these games. When given a chance they leap at it, if they think there's any way they can afford it. I have several copies of SMB3, but they're loose and just to play. They're worth maybe $8-$10 if I'm lucky. So, just because it's mass produced, doesn't mean it's not rare in certain circumstances.

[Justin11]

I know their is no way a retro game can cost more than the current gen video games, it will always play second fiddle to the price of the current games. 

[The Blackangel]

Are you serious? Did you not read anything I said?

[Head_Hunter]

I got your message here Black-angel, where you said some of the retro games like SMB-3 cost you in the region of $8-$10, which is affordable at least, and better off than what newer games are valued for. 

[The Blackangel]

There are classic games that are worth 6 figures, and in some cases even 7 figures. But it's all dependent on the title, and the condition. Some are the holy grail to collectors, while others are just neat to have. I have a CIB copy of Blaster Master(NES), Killer Instinct(SNES), and The Rocketeer(SNES). None of them are worth anything special.But it's neat to have them. The only thing missing from Killer Instinct is the soundtrack. But if I can find one that isn't going for an arm and a leg, I do plan on buying it at some point. The only place I've been able to find it is on eBay, and it's expensive as hell.

[skyfire]

I think a lot of classic game developers have closed the shop over the years so the cost of those games definitely gets expensive. like any other antique product. 

[The Blackangel]

10 hours ago, skyfire said:

I think a lot of classic game developers have closed the shop over the years so the cost of those games definitely gets expensive. like any other antique product. 

That, and a lot of those plot lines and game ideas have been abandoned since then. There is/was only one single game under that title, so there's no series to speak of. And some companies tried to release games, but with every attempt their games went from bad to worse, so they ended up going bankrupt and we never saw them again. But the good thing about games back then is that developers were willing to take the risk for something completely different and unique. Which is why I miss the era of the 80's to early 90's of gaming. But also why I still play it.

[Kane99]

On 12/24/2021 at 4:55 PM, The Blackangel said:

SMB3 was definitely a mass produced game. But you have to realize that due to its popularity, people weren't buying it to collect it. They were desperate to play it. A sealed copy is extremely rare. There are almost none left. To collectors, it's the find of a lifetime. With Little Samson, the most a copy of that has ever sold for is roughly $6000. But that one was perfect condition, sealed, and graded. The reason Little Samson sells for so much is because it was made during the early SNES days when most had upgraded to the SNES and left the NES behind. Hence, not many people bought it, so it became a rare game. People have taken out mortgages and loans to afford some of these games. When given a chance they leap at it, if they think there's any way they can afford it. I have several copies of SMB3, but they're loose and just to play. They're worth maybe $8-$10 if I'm lucky. So, just because it's mass produced, doesn't mean it's not rare in certain circumstances.

I agree, but there's still a chance that there are tons of SMB3 in new & prestine condition on the market and in the wild. Once more are found, those prices are going to drop considerably. We've already saw it with smb3 and people putting them up for auction. Once more pop up, the price will just continue to drop. 

Especially for a mass produced game. There are probably collectors holding onto copies, and there's still a big chance there are sealed copies all over the world. 

With Little Samson, it may not go for much to start off. But with how limited it is, it has a chance to increase in price. But even so, if more copies of that game are found in similar condition, it'll likely result in lower prices. 

The market is stingy with rarity. You may think one minute that game is worth a ton, but when you start to see more and more show up in auction, in ebay, etc, it starts to look like the game isn't worth as much as they were claiming it to be worth. So you start to see lower listing in the coming months. 

Essentially, these games are probably not near what they're saying they're worth. It's so hard to pin down a price when these auction houses are inflating prices to make it look like something is worth more. I just think it's a bit shady on their part. I don't believe the games they show are worth as much as they list them for. 

[The Blackangel]

There's actually very little chance of any being left in mint condition. Like I said, people were desperate to play it, and tore those boxes open before they even got the game home. You have a better chance of finding a rough draft of the constitution in your grandmothers attic. And it's not auction houses that determine the price of a rare and collectible game. It's the collectors. The one who owns it sets his price and refuses to let it go until someone agrees to his price. If they go through an auction house (and that's a big if), they can set a minimum price. If it doesn't meet that price, the item doesn't sell. It's supply and demand. The supply in this case is almost nil, whereas the demand is extremely high among the more serious collectors. Finding a mint condition, graded, CIB, copy of SMB3 is the holy grail. The only other NES cartridge that sells for more is the gold NES World Champion cartridge. It was a single cartridge awarded to the top champions during the NES tournament in 1990. They only made 26 of them. There is one on eBay right now going for two million. And it has almost 1500 people watching it. So there are people with the money that are willing to take the chance of a lifetime.

If I had 2 million to blow, I would buy the damn thing. But I'm lucky if I can scrounge up even $2 to blow, let alone 2 millon.

[skyfire]

I think only the RPG maker company seems to be giving a room for making the developers those classic retro style RPG games other wise even the RPG genre in itself has changed a lot thanks to square enix mixing FPS with turn based RPG to something different in many games of their lineup. 

[Empire]

I’ve never seen anything like these sudden increases. And it’s across every platform I check.

The prices may not come down as rapidly as we want, but the rate of inflation will absolutely return to normal. SMT IV I bought sealed in August for $25 and now it’s over $85 on average. That’s just stupid growth.