A Grand Theft Auto 4 devkit for the Xbox 360 was sold out of the boot of a car over the weekend, according to a report from Kotaku. Even crazier? It contains the remains of the game’s abandoned Zombies mode.
“I go to car boot sales quite often, partly to get stuff to resell and partly to get stuff for my personal collection,” the buyer, known only as Jan, explained. “When doing my rounds, I saw what I immediately recognised as a Phat Xbox 360, with what I first thought looked like a ‘tumour’ sticking out of it, later turning out to be the Sidecar.”
The Sidecar is an extra bit of hardware attached to Xbox 360 devkits, though Jan assumed it was just a modded console. The truth didn’t hit until he picked it up and noticed the Rockstar North sticker on the side of the devkit. Jan lives in Edinburgh, home of Rockstar North, so the devkit’s appearance at the sale isn’t entirely inexplicable.
So how much did Jan pay for this priceless relic of video gaming history? About $6.59.
“I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but I knew it was something good, so I asked the guy [how much], and he said, ‘Five pounds,'” Jan recalled. “I asked if he had change, gave him a tenner.”
Jan didn’t reveal the seller’s identity, but said they make regular appearances at the market, selling vintage electronics. Knowing he had a treasure in his hands, Jan headed home, unaware that within his treasure lay an even bigger surprise: an early pre-release build of GTA 4, including bits and pieces of its Zombies mode–a project that was ultimately killed off by Rockstar before the game’s release.
Despite his lucky find, Jan says he isn’t the biggest fan of Rockstar titles or GTA, and is considering selling the unit. He’s already uploaded the contents of the devkit to the internet for free, giving lost-media aficionados and GTA-lovers alike loads of new info to dig into. After some unsuccessful attempts to sell the unit via eBay for $800–and later, £1,000 (about $1,300)–Jan now says he’s only taking offers for in-person transactions.
“I was surprised that I got it at all, not as much at what ended up being on it–at that point, I had no idea what to expect,” he said of the experience.
As for the contents of the devkit, GTA 4 players are already digging in, comparing everything from the game’s boats and Roman’s wedding to their unfinished or altered versions from the devkit. Rockstar Games, for its part, has yet to publicly comment on the sale of the devkit and its contents.