Tetris Cartridge for Sega's Mega Drive Costs $1M

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It's reportedly the only signed copy of Tetris in existence, and it's costing a potential eBay buyer $1M USD.

Got a spare $1 Million USD burning a hole in your pocket? No? Then turn yourself away from one very overpriced eBay auction featuring an extremely rare copy of Tetris for the Sega Mega Drive console (aka Genesis here in North America). Sure, we like playing Tetris, but not enough to shell out a Ben Franklin even if the cartridge was made of pure gold and massaged our feet.

"If you are a hardcore videogame collector you know what this is: simply a rare if not THE RAREST videogame on earth," reads the description written by seller shinsnk. "A lot has been said about the numbers but is rumored only 3-8 copies exist worldwide. Personally I know only three: mine, the one exposed not for sale in Mandarake (Japan), and another in the hands of a collector friend of mine."

Ok, so this copy of Tetris is rare. We get that. But does it justify the hefty $1M price tag? According to the description, it's the only one signed by the creator of Tetris, Alekséi Pázhitnov. Shinsnk originally bought the autographed cartridge for 11.000 € (around $16,000 USD) four years ago – meaning he expects to make a profit of around $984,000 before any applicable fees.

Good luck with that.

"This is truly a rare, exclusive, elusive, obscure and desirable centerpiece grial for any collection, it has all: great franchise (Tetris), great history (Sega vs Nintendo, you can Google that), scarcity (very few copies) and exclusivity (signed by Alexei). You can expect no more."

Is the $1M price tag just a ploy to drive traffic to his auction. Probably, as he even links to a Google search of the news surrounding the auction. Nothing wrong with free advertisement, right?

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Kevin Parrish

Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

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26 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bin1127
    But is it better than Crysis?
    Reply
  • RabidFace
    While I don't doubt it's a completely legit copy signed by Alexei himself, this is just ridiculous. You have to be some crazy rich mother, obsessed with Tetris to be able to pay what he wants for it. I am also guessing he won't take anything less than $500,000.00.
    Reply
  • SiggeLund
    Already got it for MegaDrive in my HyperSpin collection. It was cheaper. :)
    Reply
  • btto
    hmm if the cartridge were made of pure gold I would surely shell out a Ben Franklin for it, I think the gold alone would be worth more than a 100 dls
    Reply
  • Zingam
    bin1127But is it better than Crysis?
    Yes! I guess that tetris will be played in 100 years too but nobody will remember Crysis in 5 years.
    Reply
  • f-gomes
    Ok, I get it, his copy is the only one signed by that russian dude. But he claims "is rumored only 3-8 copies exist worldwide". What??? Tetris sold like water back in the days, how the heck can there be only 3 - 8 copies remaining??? No way, I say.
    Reply
  • NuclearShadow
    f-gomesOk, I get it, his copy is the only one signed by that russian dude. But he claims "is rumored only 3-8 copies exist worldwide". What??? Tetris sold like water back in the days, how the heck can there be only 3 - 8 copies remaining??? No way, I say.
    The Sega Genesis version is what he is speaking of. From what I know of it, it seems to be the rarest game for that console. Truly a collectors dream to own but one million dollars signed or not is absurd.
    Reply
  • ikyung
    I guarantee someone will buy it. Maybe they will come to an agreement on a price lower then 1million, but people WILL make offers. The thing about collectors is that "collections" have 0 value, until someone puts a value on it. Meaning, Mona Lisa is only worth millions because collectors put that price tag on the painting.

    The game is only around 20-25years old and Alekséi Pázhitnov is still alive. I guarantee in another 30-40 years that cartridge will be worth a lot of money. Even more so as time goes by.

    People who are saying 1 million dollars is too much, true. But the worth of one million dollar to you is different from another person. I've seen even weirder items sell for millions in other news.
    Reply
  • NuclearShadow
    @iKyunG

    I do agree and I would certainly put a bid in if I thought I could win it at a price affordable to me.
    Not even for myself I would actually give it as a gift to someone, a certain nerd a very angry one at that.
    Reply
  • will it blend?
    Reply