Italian police seize $55.5 million worth of counterfeit retro gaming consoles

Italian tax police said Friday they had seized counterfeit Chinese copies of gaming consoles and video games from the 1980s and 1990s, worth almost 50 million euros ($55.5 million).

The revival of old video games and consoles, known as “retrogaming,” has led to the creation of new versions of these devices. Turin’s tax and customs police, the Guardia di Finanza, reported the seizure of some 12,000 gaming consoles from several provinces in late 2023. The consoles came from China, according to a police statement.

The confiscated consoles contained more than 47 million pirated copies of classic video games, lacked required EU health and safety labels, and contained uncertified batteries and circuits. The illegal devices were available in shopping malls, online marketplaces, and Italian companies’ websites.

Nine Italian citizens are currently under investigation for crimes related to fraudulent trade and copyright infringement. The confiscated video games have been destroyed. (1 USD = 0.9016 euros)

(Based on information from the agency.)