If you think spending $50 on a major title video games these days is bad, how about spending almost $100,000 on a knockoff of a game from 30 years ago?
Take a look at Extra Terrestrials, not to be confused with the Atari game E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. Extra Terrestrials stands as a pirated version of the infamous E.T. game, with the knockoff said to be one of the rarest video games in history with only 100 ever being made and only one ever surfacing.
The game was made in 1984 and is going on eBay for $90,000.
“The game was made by a company in Burlington Ontario called “Skill Screen Games”. Three family members (Tom Banting, Peter Banting, Maitland Banting) along with programmer (Herman Quast) patented and invested their time and money in the game. Tom Banting owned a media company, Peter Banting was a marketing adviser and Herman was a computer programmer. They all contributed their expertise in order to develop an Atari 2600 game based on the popular E.T. movie by Steven Spielberg.” The seller explains.
If you can’t quite fathom why this game is so pricey, it was made a year after the Video Game Crash of 1983, a period where the video game industry totally dried up mainly due to over saturation. It was a very difficult time for the industry, meaning anyone willing to make a game soon after this time was downright crazy.
Another factor is that back in the Atari games, anyone with the time and funds could make a game for the console, it didn’t have to be a licensed Nintendo, Epic Games or Insomniac title like these days. This means that very few copies were ever made, making it even more desirable.
The seller also explains that, “With its historical and cultural significance, the method of distribution, unique cartridge size, low print run, it is regarded by many including “Racketboy’s Rarest and Most Valuable Atari 2600 Games” as one of the rarest video games of all time. Today only 4 copies of this game are in existence and this copy is the only one in private hands. Furthermore, this game was inspired by the “worst video game ever made” the infamous E.T. for the Atari 2600, adding to its historical value.”
You can check out the listing here and a video about the game below:
