‘Super Mario 64’ Copy Sells For A Record $1.56 Million

A mint-condition copy of Super Mario 64 was recently purchased for $1.56 million. The purchase took place on July 12 as a part of Heritage Auctions.

This sale sets the record for the most money paid for a video game. The previous record was set just three days before on July 9, when an unopened copy of The Legend of Zelda for NES’ reached a price of $870,000 at auction. This purchase was also a part of an online auction by Heritage Auctions.

“The cultural significance of this title and its importance to the history of video games is paramount and the condition of this copy is just so breathtaking that we’re really at a loss here. If you have had your heart set on obtaining the highest graded copy of the best-selling video game on the Nintendo 64– the first 3D adventure of Nintendo’s mascot, Mario– we only have one piece of advice: this is not an opportunity to waste,” reads the website for Heritage Auctions.

Super Mario 64 was first released in 1996 and was developed and published by Nintendo. The game featured an open world, dynamic camera controls and gave players the freedom to move throughout 3d space. The title was celebrated for allowing players freedom as they explored vast areas. Mario’s objective in Super Mario 64 is to collect power stars from various worlds in an attempt to free Princess Peach from Bowser. The game sold around eleven million copies by 2003. Super Mario 64 received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with Metacritic awarding a 94/100 aggregate score.

Valaire McLeckie, who acts as a video game specialist for Heritage, explained that she was quite surprised to see a video game sell for this much money. This shock was enhanced by the fact that the previous record was set by the sale of The Legend of Zelda for $870,000 just a couple of days prior.

The high-selling price of this copy of Super Mario 64 serves to commemorate the cultural impact video games now hold in modern society.