A video game reseller in the UK claims that Sega was responsible for a police raid that resulted in the seizure of several Nintendo development kits from his home. According to a report from Time Extension, the seller alleges that he purchased these kits from a scrapyard, and that Sega sought police assistance to retrieve them after mistakenly discarding them during an office clearance.
The seller acquired the collection for approximately £10,000 (around $13,526) from an individual who brought a van filled with items purportedly linked to Sega’s office in Brentford, West London. Sega recently relocated its European office to Chiswick Business Park.
On July 14, about three months after the purchase, the police reportedly conducted a raid at the seller’s home, arresting him on charges of money laundering. He recounted being awakened by a significant police presence, as approximately ten officers from the City of London Police informed him of his arrest and the seizure of the development kits and game cartridges.
The seized collection included development kits for various Nintendo consoles, such as the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DSi, 2DS, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U, as well as multiple prototype games. However, it remains unclear whether these specific games were taken by law enforcement.
Days after his release, the police reportedly requested the seller to sign a formal disclaimer relinquishing ownership of the kits, suggesting that he had obtained them fairly. The seller declined to sign the disclaimer and has not received any further communication from either the police or Sega, despite Sega being named in multiple legal claims linked to the situation.
Currently, the development kits remain with the police, and the future of the collection is uncertain, raising concerns within the video game preservation community. The Verge attempted to contact Sega for a comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/776260/sega-police-raid-nintendo-dev-kits