We know that some retro games and consoles They can be worth a small fortune at auction, depending on their condition and conservation, of course. This sector is gaining more and more followers and moves millions of dollars every year, although now the focus has been on them for a accusation of fraud at auctions. According to a well-known youtuber, the price of the items at auction artificially inflated to earn more money.
Specifically, these accusations of fraud come from a well-known American YouTuber, Karl Jobst, lash out at Wata Games and Heritage Auctions, the agency that classifies rare games and the auction house that achieves record prices with each sale, respectively (via Kotaku). “There is a group select of very rich and very powerful people that move the strings behind this recent increase in the prices of video games, and the same people are earning money without stopping “, assures the youtuber in his video, where he accuses of fraudulent behavior to Heritage Auctions and classifies from “Revolving door” of sorters, collectors and sellers to Wata Games.
“Wata Games is the trusted leader in the ranking of collectible video games and we are honored to play a key role in this booming industry that we are incredibly passionate about,” the company’s parent company said in a statement. “We are honored by the support of our thousands of clients who trust us to provide accurate and transparent ratings. The claims in this video are completely unfounded and defamatory and it is regrettable that Mr. Jobst did not contact us to give us the opportunity to correct it. “
For its part, Heritage Auctions assured VGC that ‘I wish you had been given the opportunity to respond before the video is published, because there are numerous misstatements of inaccurate facts and conclusions contained in the article, “said a spokesman. “Heritage vigorously refute any accusations that he or his officials are involved in illegal bidding, market manipulation or any similar illegal or unethical practice. Heritage prides itself on our transparency and being a place built by and for collectors. With this in mind, we welcome the opportunity to discuss more about the video game market and would invite Mr. Jobst to our world headquarters in Dallas to tour our operations and speak further with leadership. “
With sales of up to $ 2 million for a still-sealed copy of Super Mario Bros., an increase of 6500% in four years over its first auction sale for $ 30,000, it is normal that the focus has been on this retro game industry. More if there is a conflict of interests as obvious as this, since it was Jim Halperin, co-founder of Heritage, the buyer of the game and he cited Wata Games as a certification company. Company in which he is listed as a director and Heritage as a business partner. At the moment it is not known if these accusations will get to something serious, but of course, they have put the media focus on a millionaire sector of the video game industry.