Italian Police Seize $55.5M Worth of Counterfeit Retrogaming Consoles

Italian tax police have confiscated nearly 12,000 counterfeit Chinese gaming consoles and video games from the 1980s and 1990s worth almost 50 million euros. The devices lacked proper safety labels and contained non-certified batteries and circuits. Nine individuals are under investigation for various crimes including fraudulent trading and copyright infringement.

Italian tax police announced on Friday the seizure of counterfeit Chinese copies of vintage game consoles and video games from the 1980s and 1990s, valued at nearly 50 million euros ($55.5 million).

The resurgence of old video games and consoles, known as 'retrogaming,' has led to new iterations of these devices. Guardia di Finanza tax and customs police in Turin reported seizing around 12,000 gaming consoles from several provinces in late 2023. These consoles originated from China, as per the police statement.

The seized consoles contained over 47 million pirate copies of classic video games, lacked required EU health and safety labels, and included non-certified batteries and electrical circuits. The illegal devices were available in shopping malls, online marketplaces, and websites of Italian companies.

Nine Italian nationals are now under investigation for crimes related to fraudulent trading and copyright infringement. The confiscated video games have been destroyed. ($1 = 0.9016 euros)

(With inputs from agencies.)