Today’s gaming world also attracts an enthusiastic blend of tech-savvy and open-minded gamers willing to spend, invest, and even collaborate in developing all sorts of amazing products. Here are some of them.
Star Citizen’s Javelin – $2,500
Star Citizen is a crowdfunded project that has been developing for the last decade, thanks to Cloud Imperium Games. Ironically, the game has no release date but has managed to crowdfund $600 million. This amount was made possible through expensive sales like the Javelin spaceships that went on sale at $2,500 apiece.
The Javelin is irresistible. It is a massive UEE military modular with a detailed interior, plenty of room, and a high crew capacity. The ship also has five decks, each with different crew ranks and areas to explore.
The ships can provide fleet support, convoy escort, orbital fire suppression, fast interception missions, and reconnaissance in force. In short, it lets you fly around space and blow up other ships.
Only 200 units were put on sale, and they quickly sold out. The company also sold out a second batch in 2015, showing how much space denizens are willing to risk on exclusive artillery and a shot at exploring new virtual worlds.
CS: GO’s Rare AK47s ($500 – $160,000)
CS: GO has been quite the sensation in the gaming industry, supporting millions of concurrent players during peak hours. The game is perfect for beginners and experts. It provides simple missions that are easy to start by picking a team and performing straightforward tasks. Then, you find yourself going deeper into more complex missions before you know it.
As expected, such a popular game boasts many expensive in-game purchases. Some of its AK 47 skins have especially sold at ridiculous prices. The fire Serpent skin can cost between $500 and $7,000. You can expect new skin versions to sell upwards of $6000.
Another of the game’s classics, the gold Arabesque AK47 skin, initially sold at $2,000. However, prices went up after its supply was limited. You’d have to pay at least $10,000 to get one now. The Wild Lotus, too, has a $10,000 price tag. Yet, one unique Wild Lotus sold for over $160,000 in March 2023.
RuneScape’s Blue Party Hat
The legendary blue Party Hat in RuneScape started as a free consolation prize during a one-off 2001 Christmas event. They have since become scarce and, as typical human rationale dictates, expensive. After all, exclusivity and rarity always drive prices high.
This nonfunctional hat now costs upwards of $4,000. They have become so expensive that you have to buy them through a third-party dealer, such as RPGStash because the price surpasses the in-house trading limits. This limit is expected, considering most online game purchases are not meant to be that expensive. For example, Paysafecard online casinos may only allow deposits of up to 300 USD or 250 EUR at a time.
Diablo’s Echoing Fury Mace – $14,000
Did you know that fully gearing up a character in Diablo can cost up to $600,000? This makes $14,000 a mere drop in the ocean. Still, some might argue it’s a bit steep for a mere one-handed mace. Not Diablo and Reaper of Souls players, though.
A previous late-game patch had a damage allocation bug that multiplied the mace’s damage output. It allowed players to inflict an absurd amount of pain on enemies, causing the mace’s price to go up. The bug was soon fixed, and the mace’s price has since come down to $14,000 or 40 billion in-game gold.
You don’t get a legendary affix with Echoing Fury, but it has a high DPS and good bonuses. This mace remains a desirable weapon symbolizing ultimate power in Diablo and Reaper of Souls.
CS: GO’ M4 A4 Howl $20,000 – $200,000
We have already talked about CS: GO’s pricey classic AK 47s, but they pale compared to its M4 A4 Howl, the only contraband-grade skin in the game. There is controversy over ownership of the artwork, which has deterred further releases and made the skin exceedingly rare.
You can acquire Models of the rifle that don’t have a sticker from as low as $5,000. However, a Factory New version and Stat Trak can set you back up to $20,000. Moreover, you’ll pay more than $100,000 with expensive stickers applied.
It gets better: a version of the Howl with 4 iBuyPower Holo stickers that went for $20,000 sold for $215,000 in April 2023. The skin went to a Maltese skin collector called Bidule. It was sold via a harsh close time, and buyers only had three days to prepare liquidity. Experts believe the skin would have sold for at least $250,000 if more time was allowed.
Entropia’s Planet Calypso $6 Million
Calypso, a planet in the Entropia virtual universe, takes the win for the most expensive game item. Entropia is known for extravagant deals and investors ready to take bold risks. For example, a player going by Buzz Eric Lightyear once purchased a space station on planet Calypso for $330,000.
Another player, Jon Jacob, mortgaged his house to buy a $100,000 asteroid, where he built a club called Club Neverdie. He developed the planet and made an ROI through player patronage, then later sold it for an astounding $635,000.
For all its lavish purchases, however, none trumps the sale of planet Calypso itself, which changed hands for an astronomical $6,000,000. Even under new management, Calypso continues to support a diverse ecosystem, a thriving economy, and numerous opportunities for profit.
Conclusion
Dozens of other virtual items could have made this list, but we only covered a few interesting ones. They shine a light on an ever-growing interest in online gaming. Moreover, these price tags affirm the financial opportunities of the gaming world and set the bar high for future gaming investments.
