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Italian tax police reported seizing around 12,000 counterfeit retro consoles containing more than 47 million pirated games. The haul was valued at almost €50 million—reported by Reuters as about $55.5 million, the rounded dollar figure behind the original headline. The seizures began in late 2023 and were reported on September 13, 2024.
What did Italian police seize?
According to a Reuters report syndicated by MarketScreener, Italian tax police seized Chinese-made copies of vintage gaming systems loaded with pirated games. The operation involved seizures in several Italian provinces, with Turin’s financial police cited in connection with it.
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Authorities said the devices held more than 47 million unauthorized copies of old games. The report does not identify the individual console models or games.
How many fake consoles and games were found?
Police reported seizing around 12,000 consoles and more than 47 million pirated games. Those figures describe the authorities’ reported seizure, not a separately audited inventory.
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Were the counterfeit consoles unsafe?
Police said the consoles lacked EU-mandated health and safety labels and contained non-certified batteries and electrical circuits. These are claims attributed to law enforcement in Reuters’ account; the report does not describe independent product testing or establish the safety condition of every seized device.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the €50 million figure mean?
The haul was estimated at almost €50 million. Reuters gave an approximate conversion of $55.5 million, which was rounded to $50 million in the headline. The report does not explain how authorities calculated the estimate. It should not be read as a confirmed financial loss to Nintendo, Sega, Atari, or other rights holders.
What happened to the seized games and the investigation?
The report said the seized games had been destroyed and that nine Italian nationals were under investigation. It does not establish whether anyone was later charged, convicted, acquitted, or otherwise subject to a final judicial decision; being under investigation is not a finding of guilt.
What the report establishes—and what remains unclear
The incident details come from Reuters’ September 13, 2024 report, syndicated by MarketScreener, rather than an underlying Guardia di Finanza statement independently confirmed here. The report documents the police-reported scale, estimated value, and safety concerns, but does not provide a valuation method or a later case-disposition update.
Source: Reuters report syndicated by MarketScreener, September 13, 2024.
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