A Copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 Just Sold for a World Record-Setting $156,000

A sealed copy of NES’ Super Mario Bros. 3 has sold for $156,000 USD and has set the world record for the highest price paid for a video game at auction.

On November 20, Heritage Auctions sold a sealed copy of 1990’s Super Mario Bros. 3 for $156,000 and surpassed the sale of NES’ Super Mario Bros. from earlier this year that sold for $114,000 USD.

Screenshot_2020-11-21 Super Mario Bros 3 - Wata 9 2 A+ Sealed [ Bros Left, First Lot #93032 Heritage Auctions

The bidding for this rare copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 began at $62,000 USD, and 20 bidders fought for the chance to purchase it and, in doing so, also made this the world’s first-ever million-dollar video-game auction.

“While the condition of the game is remarkable, what makes this copy even more singular is the layout of the packaging itself: Exceedingly rare are sealed copies with the word “Bros.” formatted to the left, covering one of Mario’s signature white gloves,” A press release from Heritage Auctions stated. “Collectors have spent years looking for such a version — the earliest in the Super Mario Bros. 3 production history – and usually come up empty-handed.”

This particular copy earned a grade of Wata 9.2 A+. In July, another variant of Super Mario Bros. 3 with a grade of Wata 9.0 A sold for $38,400 USD.

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Friday was also another big day for video games, as a sealed copy of the “Red Version” of 1998’s Pokemon for Nintendo Game Boy – which was graded Wata 9.8 A++ – sold for $84,000 USD, making it the highest price ever paid for a Pokemon title. Furthermore, its final price was four times its pre-sale estimate.

In 2019, we did a deep-dive into why an ultra-rare copy of NES’ Super Mario Bros. sold for over $100,000, and why some earn these high prices. Speaking of high prices, a prototype of the Nintendo PlayStation console also sold for $360,000 USD at auction earlier this year, making 2020 a important and notable year for video game collectibles.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fortnite: Galactus Set to Arrive in Nexus War Finale Live Event

Fortnite’s Chapter 2: Season 4 crossover will finally see Galactus arrive in a one-time only Nexus War finale live event on December 1, 2020, at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm GMT.

No further details were given as to what players can expect from this event besides the Fortnite Team noting that “Galactus is closing in on the Island and the fate of all Reality lies in the balance.”

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To prepare for the event, it is recommended players download the latest update for Fortnite and log in at least 60 minutes prior to the start of the event. The event playlist should be up 30 minutes prior to the start time.

The Fortnite team has said that it has “taken measures to ensure more people can attend the event,” but it is still recommended that players arrive early.

It is also mentioned that players will be able to take advantage of Fortnite’s new integration with Housparty to video chat with friends in-game if you are playing on PC, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation 5.

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Fortnite’s Marvel-themed season has seen such characters as Iron Man, Thor, Storm, Doctor Doom, She-Hulk, Mystique, Groot, and Wolverine be added to the game as skins, alongside other easter eggs, weapons, and more.

Even though this live event is being built up to be a finale event for the Nexus War, Fortnite still has “many years of Marvel integration” planned beyond this current season.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Channing Tatum, Lord & Miller Reteam for Universal Monster Movie

Some of the team behind 21 Jump Street and its sequel 22 Jump Street are reuniting for a new “tongue-in-cheek thriller,” as Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Jump Street films, The LEGO Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and star Channing Tatum are collaborating on a movie “inspired by Universal’s classic monster legacy.”

Per Deadline, Lord and Miller will produce while Tatum produces and stars in an untitled monster project that will be a modern-day, comedic take on one or more of Universal’s classic creatures (think Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Mummy, etc). The full plot details are being kept under wraps for now.

Reid Carolin (producer on Magic Mike and Channing Tatum’s directorial debut, Dog) had the original idea for the project and wrote the treatment. Wes Tooke (Midway) is writing the script.

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In other Channing Tatum news, IGN learned that X-Men: Apocalypse was meant to set the stage for a Mister Sinister-driven X-Men movie and that the plan was for Sinister to appear in the now canceled Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum.

After his Gambit film went bust, Tatum set his sights on another (very different) hero and is now teaming with Roy Lee (Godzilla vs. Kong) to co-produce their version on the ’90s surreal superhero title The Maxx.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.