In a world where intrepid sleuths dug up hundreds of thousands of copies of the infamous Atari 2600 game E.T. in the New Mexico desert, nothing is off the table when it comes to finding treasure troves of classic games. The sheer number of physical games floating around online shows the door is open so long as people search the right places. It appears another such trove is now out in the open after the discovery of thousands of classic titles for SNES, 3DO, and Sega platforms in a Nebraska storage facility.
Nebraska-based game reseller GAMEROOM shared the discovery on its official YouTube page, offering viewers a quick glimpse of the storeroom the games and systems were found in. Two GAMEROOM staff members, identified as Chris and John, are seen in the video exploring the storehouse, saying the games were likely left alone since 1994 after a local video game shop closed down and put its remaining stock into storage. Initial finds were predominantly games like Madden 94 and NBA Jam, which were commonly available at the time of release.
Chris and John are later seen with organized tubs of SNES, 3DO, Genesis, Saturn, and Sega CD games. The pair reiterate most of what they found are widely available games, there were still plenty of unopened gems to make up for it, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time and Sunset Riders on the SNES.
However, the crown jewel of this game horde is revealed to be an unopened copy of Chrono Trigger for the SNES which, in good condition, can run well north of $2,400.
IGN reached out to GAMEROOM to ask about plans for the collection, which the store said would be announced after it was done collecting, preserving, and documenting the full collection. The store did not say if the games would be graded by an official grader like WATA or VGA, which could significantly increase the price.
Treasure troves like this are the dream find for any lover of video games, especially those interested in the rise of home consoles and companies like Nintendo and Sega. The games, in essence, are a snapshot of their respective era and what was popular or hard to come by, even then. It isn't surprising, either, such discoveries are cherished in an age where games are so easily available and accessible on a variety of platforms right at players' fingertips.
Source: IGN