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Around $400,000 worth of stolen Playdate products have mysteriously turned up outside a random restaurant, still mostly in the boxes and completely abandoned. Panic, who makes the iconic video game consoles, took to X to share the bizarre story, which began in March after dozens of boxes went missing in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
At the time, company co-founder Cabel Sasser<\/a> spoke at the Game Developers Conference<\/a>, calling the whole situation \u201ca bit of a true crime drama\u201d.<\/p>\n However, a few months later, the consoles were returned to their rightful owner, though the circumstances surrounding their return remain unclear.<\/p>\n Did you hear the story about how $400k worth of Playdates were misdelivered by FedEx to a construction site near our warehouse? And then someone just\u2026 stole them? Seriously.<\/p>\n Well, guess what got hastily dumped at a random restaurant this morning?<\/p>\n Welcome back stolen Playdates! pic.twitter.com\/LseJKp9sOO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Playdate (@playdate) May 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The company explained, \u201cDid you hear the story about how $400k worth of Playdates were misdelivered by FedEx to a construction site near our warehouse? And then someone just\u2026 stole them? Seriously.\u201d However, for reasons unknown, the thief or thieves deemed the haul either undesirable or too large to handle and subsequently abandoned it near a restaurant, which is visible in the background of the photos, close to the company\u2019s fulfillment warehouse.<\/p>\n In a follow-up announcement, the Playdate team mentioned that they would provide more information about the situation at a later date. They described getting the consoles back as the \u201cbest possible outcome\u201d and credited the resolution to \u201clots of time and detective work,\u201d which they found enjoyable.<\/p>\n The team jokingly pondered, \u201cThe real question is, can we sell these as a limited edition? Playdate HotTM.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the company admitted that some may have been stolen, responding to a comment: \u201cWho said no boxes were opened and no Playdate systems were missing or sold?\u201d<\/p>\n Playdate is a handheld video game console<\/a> remarkable for its mechanical crank and a retro-style black-and-white screen. The device was announced in May 2019 and hit the market in April 2022. It is designed as a small, square, yellow console with a 1-bit black-and-white display, a 4-way directional pad, two game buttons, and a mechanical crank that can be stowed away when not in use.<\/p>\n Regarding the crank, TechCrunch<\/a> commented at the time, \u201cIt\u2019s not necessary for every game, though, so don\u2019t worry if it seems too weird.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfba We did it. We shipped over 70,000 Playdate pre-orders. We’re all caught up. And that means\u2026<\/p>\n Playdates are NOW IN STOCK and READY TO SHIP. Place an order right now, and your Playdate will go out the door in just a few days.<\/p>\n Head on over to https:\/\/t.co\/7dZDdDqwMp<\/a> \u27a1\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/gHVKkuTRFg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Playdate (@playdate) February 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n On February 13, 2024, Panic announced on its X account that it had sold over 70,000 Playdates.<\/p>\n Featured image: Panic on X \/ Canva<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
What are Playdate games?<\/h2>\n
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