Earlier this month, a whopping 2,810 Switch 2 consoles were stolen from a semi-truck on its way to a GameStop store in Grapevine, Texas.
The theft happened sometime on or before June 8, as the semi-truck's driver discovered the stolen stock around 8 in the morning that day. According to details shared by 9NEWS, he told deputies on duty that he was conducting a pre-trip inspection and left the vehicle, carrying the Switch 2 units, parked at a truck stop. He then noticed that it had been broken into by thieves, with "multiple pallets" containing the consoles missing.
According to the driver, he was taking the units to a GameStop store in Texas, but he didn't actually know any details surrounding what he was carrying in his semi-truck. The heist itself occurred along the way, somewhere between Washington state and Colorado. In total, 2,810 consoles were taken, which adds up to about $1.4 million – certainly no small loss, especially when securing Switch 2 stock is so difficult right now.
The thieves behind the massive Nintendo heist probably won't be reselling the consoles just anywhere like scalpers usually do, though. As computer science professor Steve Beaty tells 9NEWS, they might even end up on the "dark web" or be "shipped out of country." Beaty warns potential purchasers that Nintendo can track stolen serial numbers and is even capable of "bricking" suspected devices – in other words, rendering them useless.
There's no telling whether or not those responsible for the semi-truck robbery will be found by officials just yet, but if they are, the local sheriff's office has said the thieves could face multiple felony charges.
Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.
