Unless you're a die-hard 3DS collector, you probably haven't heard of Ubisoft's obscure 2011 platform release Cubic Ninja. Plenty of people are talking about, and seeking out, the title today, though, after a hacking group announced it's the key to the first exploit allowing 3DS hardware to run unsigned, homebrew code.

It all started early Monday, when the hacking community at GBATemp (known for publicizing many previous Nintendo console exploits) announced that a hacker going by the handle smealum got homebrew code running on a 3DS after months of work. The initial post noted that the exploit requires a specific 3DS game to work, but the group said they'd be keeping the identity of that title secret until the exploit was officially "released" to the public on November 22.

Since then, however, GBATemp says that "plans are accelerated," and smealum revealed on Twitter Monday night that the exploitable game was Cubic Ninja, a tilt-controlled action adventure that got abysmal reviews just after the 3DS' launch in early 2011. While the game is available for download through the Nintendo eShop, only the Japanese edition of the download can be used for the homebrew exploit, according to smealum. To get homebrew working on North American or European hardware, you need to track down an actual retail copy of the game card.

What happened next was eminently predictable: Cubic Ninja went from a bargain basement clearance item to an in-demand find literally overnight. Over on eBay, copies of the game were generally selling in the $3 to $7 range as recently as yesterday, with one copy finishing its auction as low as $1.04 last month. In the 15 or so hours since the exploit was announced, eBay sale prices have shot up as high as $40, with even the "cheap" North American Buy It Now auctions going for a minimum of $25 or so. Right now, one eBay profiteer is asking $300 for a new sealed copy, noting in the auction title that "This is the game you need for the Homebrew Project. These games are becoming difficult to find due to game developers hoarding these games."

It's the same situation elsewhere around the Web. A few weeks ago, Amazon sellers were offering copies of Cubic Ninja for as low $2.07, with plenty of listings for new copies well under $10. Right now, the cheapest copy available from an Amazon seller is going for over $24, with one seller asking as high as $500. New or used copies of Cubic Ninja were available for as low as $5 with immediate shipping at the websites for Gamestop, Wal-mart, and Best Buy just last week. Now all three retailers are sold out online, and copies are hard or impossible to find in stores, according to online inventory checkers.

In a final bit of irony, the game's original developers at AQ Interactive won't even be able to really enjoy the game's sudden unexpected surge in popularity; the Japanese company was absorbed into Harvest Moon maker Marvelous Entertainment shortly after Cubic Ninja's release in 2011. Ubisoft, which published the game outside of Japan, could theoretically cash in by re-releasing the title to retailers and eager consumers, but Nintendo probably wouldn't allow such a move unless the homebrew exploit was already patched out.

Once the exploit is fully publicized this weekend, players with a copy of Cubic Ninja will reportedly be able to launch a modified boot file on the SD card through Cubic Ninja, which will in turn install a "homebrew channel" on the system that can then run arbitrary code on the hardware. While Nintendo can and likely will update the 3DS firmware to stop this exploit, Smealum notes on Twitter that it currently works with all firmware versions on every edition of the 2DS/3DS hardware, and also stresses that the exploit can't be used to run "backups" of legitimate 3DS games, and it's only useful for running homebrew code, such as a version of Minecraft shown as a proof of concept in online photos.

Console hacking fans may remember that the Wii had a similar homebrew hack that required a copy of launch title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. When that hack was patched out in a later version of the Wii firmware, a number of other Wii hacks were developed, some of which required copies of less popular game discs.

Even if other exploits are eventually found and developed for the 3DS, at least Cubic Ninja has already been rescued from a lifetime of ignominy to become a footnote in the history of the 3DS.