While there are still plenty of collectors of physical PS Vita games out there, there are a couple of games that have proven to be elusive to most. Publisher Nicalis saw three of their games – VVVVVV, 1001 Spikes and The Binding Of Isaac – surface online in incredibly small quantities. Instead of normal retail copies, these appeared to be preview releases produced for Sony Interactive Entertainment (indicated by holes punched in the back of the game’s inlay). Selling online for four-figure sums, Nicalis immediately denied the existence of normal retail copies and insisted that these previews were the only ones that were made.
Eventually, after Eastasiasoft released their final physical PS Vita game in the shape of Jet Set Knights, Nicalis publicly confirmed that a retail run of 1001 Spikes did exist when they announced it on their Twitter account on 3rd June 2024…
The world was introduced to #1001Spikes 10 years ago today.
This year, on 10/01, we’ll reveal how you can score physical copies for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.#UkampaKey #NoHolesPunched pic.twitter.com/S3vp6C7MWk— Nicalis, Inc. (@nicalis) June 3, 2024
True to their promise, a page went went live on their site on 1st October 2024 offering detailing the pre-order of the Collector’s Edition for both the PS Vita and PS4. Each version of the game was listed as “coming soon” and no details were available for the price.
Nine months on and there’s been no movement on the release of the game. Did these games actually exist? Are Nicalis trying to source suppliers for the additional items in sufficient before confirming the price? It’s all quite vague at the moment. One thing that is certain right now is that the market for physical PS Vita games is rather unstable.
While some titles have held their value well, others have dropped in value considerably and are much easier to find than they used to be. There also seems to be no consistency when it comes to value of limited edition titles. Some that had increased rapidly to well over £100 within days of their release are now selling for half of that, while others that struggled to reach £30-£40 are now hitting prices of over £150.
There is a risk that Nicalis have left it too late to release 1001 Spikes (and their other games if they are still holding on to these). While there may still be collectors out there, the market for high value Vita games may not be as large as it used to and they may struggle with them – and certainly with a premium Collector’s Edition.
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