$400,000 Worth Of Stolen Playdate Handhelds Found Outside Random Restaurant

It’s been just over two years since Panic introduced its throwback handheld gaming system, Playdate, which has more in common with a Game Boy than a Steam Deck. That discovery may be why thieves dumped over $400,000 worth of stolen Playdate handhelds in front of a random restaurant with little fanfare.

Panic’s official account on X revealed the incident and shared photos of the recovered handhelds. According to Panic, the shipment was delivered at the wrong address by FedEx before thieves scooped them up and later left them behind.

In a follow-up message, Panic said that more details would likely be shared in an upcoming episode of the Playdate Podcast. Panic also jokingly asked “Can we sell these as a limited edition? Playdate Hot.” As promotional campaigns go, that might work.

While Panic’s account noted that some boxes of Playdates were opened and systems were still “missing or sold,” the company suggested that “it’s a crucial part of how we got these back.”

At the moment, the company expressed that “this was our best possible outcome, the result of lots of time and detective work,” before adding “Ok fine, we enjoyed [it].”