Who knew you could be as “Royal” as a queen for just $3000?
The mysterious official Golden Wii shipped to Queen Elizabeth has turned up in an online auction, and the bid has reached $3000.
Whether it’s for your company’s marketing campaign or a wild item on your bucket list, there are a few things you can do to make people’s eyebrows touch their hairlines. One of those things is what now expired video game publisher THQ did back in 2009.
During their Wii Sports-like “Big Family Games” release campaign, the marketing team decided they’d have to do something outlandish to incite a buzz around its release. They wanted badly to influence the gaming community, and the method they chose was sending a copy of the game and a Wii to a prevalent figure.
It happened to be the most popular family in the world: The Royal Family. That’s right; gaming company THQ – RIP – sent THE Queen Elizabeth and The Royal Family a Wii console and an arguably mediocre family game.
Although many agree the problem starts with sending anything to The Royal Family, THQ’s concern was in the kind of Wii they would send. This couldn’t be some regular Wii. This had to be a Wii fitting of The Royal Family’s behest; thus, the Golden Wii was born.
THQ executives sent the Golden Wii to the Queen and a copy of their new family game. To no one’s surprise, the Wii didn’t make it past The Royal Family’s expectedly tight security.
The Golden Wii was sent back to THQ, and it was in its possession when the expired gaming publisher went bankrupt in 2012. It was lost until it reemerged in 2017 when it landed in the hands of some unnamed collector.
Concerns are circulating about the validity of this Wii, and all attempts to confirm its credibility – checking the gold plating at an official jeweler, matching the serial number, etc. – have all landed nowhere. It’s also unclear if this is the same Golden Wii auctioned on eBay in 2021.
However, the value is in this incredible story, and if it’s true, it could make this Golden Wii more valuable than the auction’s price will ever be. If you’re okay with the odds of there being another Golden Wii out there and you’re sitting on some extra funds, then the Queen’s Golden Wii could be yours.
