EB Games is opening over 300 stores around the country tonight in readiness for the launch of Modern Warfare 2.
The highlights will be at Liverpool Westfield in Sydney and Knox City Shopping Centre in Melbourne, the two stores designated to host what EB predict will be the biggest gaming launch ever in Australia.
“EB Games are extremely excited to be the premier launch destination of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We look forward to being an integral part of this historic event as this will be the biggest gaming launch in Australian history,” says Shane Stockwell, EB Games merchandising director.
“We are expecting tens of thousands of people to come out at midnight to get this game, it will definitely be a sight to see and I would encourage everyone to come along and be part of these very special events right across Australia.”
Those heading down to the two official midnight launches will be in the running to win a bunch of prizes, too, including:
* Dress in camo and get your head shaved for your chance to win a Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360 console
* Free cans of V energy drink
* Energizer Torches
* Plus the chance to get a free upgrade from Standard Edition to Hardened Edition
Oh, and if you’re going, don’t forget to take some pics and send them to us.
brad
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:11 AMdammit! this game is everywhere i look!!! i want it nooowwwww daddy!
ive never been to a midnight launch for anything but i’ll be at this one for sure! cant wait to get my hands on my prestige edition :D
btw all eb’s are opening at 11pm local time. according to the sms alert i received from them yesterday.
spewin im in adelaide right now! id love to be in with a crack at getting that mw2 360.
has anyone noticed the ridiculously overpriced prestige editions on feebay at the moment? some clowns are trying to flog it off for $350!! LOL. i shoulda pre’d more than 1.
Dean Longmore
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 4:06 PMI hate everything you stand for.
brad
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 4:55 PMyou hate everything “I” stand for?
fair enough. whats on ya mind princess? what do I stand for?
No one
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 6:43 PMYou know what i hate Dean? People who reply to a person on a New article devoted to a game, and then criticise them for showing excitment for something they clearly have an interest in.
Please, do everyone a favour and just give up!
Matthew Meola
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:55 PMWhich store you hitting up man? Do you think TTP will be open?
Jesse Thomson
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:17 AMman thats bullshit! they need a launch in EVERY state! fuck EB makes more money than Jesus hell their revenue is higher then our countrys budget!
Chris Barns
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:17 AMI am pretty sure most GAME stores are doing a midnight launch as well. They have a bunch of specials on other stuff as well. I am not sure what but they are ment to be pretty good. I dont think all of them are doing it so i’d give your local one a call first to make sure.
You dont want to be the gronk standing out the front of a closed shop.
David Fox
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:02 PMYou all know that EB and GAME are the same company right?
David Wildgoose
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:14 PMUm…
Jay
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 6:23 PMLOL! I could only imagine David reading through the comments to approve and just going blank. Speechless really…
Neil Williams
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 7:35 PMYeah…no. The US chain of EB Games started operations in Australia in 1997. While most of how EB Australia operates now is based off how the US chain operates, they (mostly) work as two separate entities. In 2005, GameStop acquired the US chain of EB Games, meaning that it owns the Australian chain by association.
The UK chain of EB Games merged with GAME in the UK in 1999, which basically formed a company mostly separate (the US EB Games did however hold a 24% ownership stake) to the US chain of EB Games. In 2004, the UK chain renamed itself The Game Group, the two companies agreed to sever the remainder of their ties with a one time settlement, and then renamed all their stores in the UK and Ireland to be GAME stores. In 2006, The Game Group bought out Gameswizards in Australia in 2006, renaming the stores that survived the acquisition to GAME.
So yeah, two different companies. And you could have discovered that all on your own by jumping on Wikipedia for a couple of minutes.
Chris Ryan
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 7:50 PMIm unsure that Game and EB ARE actually the same in Australia- in the UK they are as Game bought out Electronics Boutique a few yrs back and started rebranding, but pretty sure they are separate here.
Can we get a definitive yay or nay from the lads in the shirt and ties?
Doug Sherry
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:04 PMunlikely – if that was the case they would most likely have just one store front, and we would be able to see a greater buying power.
Neil Williams
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:39 PMSee my post above.
Also, funnily enough, GameStop now operates in the UK as well. Which pretty much means that a company that wasn’t EB Games and then was EB Games, and then wasn’t EB Games again, is now competing against a company that was EB Games, and now isn’t EB Games (they maintain the EB Games name for areas in which the name already has major brand recognition). ^^
DansDans
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:22 AMDo i have to buy the game to get a free V and torch? LOL
DavidR
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:24 AMReally, EB Games? Really?
Wow! A once-in-a-lifetime event? Could I really line up in the middle of the night and fork over too much much money in the hope of upgrading a collector’s edition version that you didn’t order enough copies of in the first place? Could I really be that lucky? Oh boy!
I think I’ll just wait 8 hours and then pick up the game for a hell of a lot cheaper from somewhere else thanks.
Friar Tuck
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:24 AMI wouldn’t shop at EB if they were giving everything away for free and you could freely kick the manager in the balls!
I shop at GAME were the people are freindly, ready to price match anything within my town, actually know what they’re talking about and are not a bunch of elitist non-gamers!
Dominic Davies
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:21 PMClearly your local EB Store is shit. Don’t consider it the norm. Also all EB stores will price match, It’s something they have to do if you ask them to. If they don’t you can get them in trouble.
Karl
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:35 PMCan I have my dreamcast back? And message me if you know anywhere in melbourne breaking street date.
tom
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:25 AMwhy Liverpool? nasty
Bish
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:18 PMHaha, wasn’t one of the last midnight launches in Penrith or something?
Because, you know, the west is a great place to loiter around in the early hours of the morning.
;D
tom
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:33 PMDude totally, penrith…liverpool. Might as well do a nation wide launch at mt druitt and see how many people start robbing joints wearing NVGs.
Tim
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:27 AMToo bad most people are already playing this, well most people on my friends list. I know for a fact a number or Gametrader stores that are selling to friends and friends of friends. I would of got a copy but i preordered the prestige edition from EB.
Aaron Clement
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:32 AMYes! I want to go into EB and pay $110 for the game on the PC in the middle of the night!
Sarcasm aside, the NVG would’ve been amusing to get just for the novelty value.. Hoping someone in the office picks up the Prestige edition, just so I can have a play with the goggles..
Crono
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:57 AMAm I the only person not buying MW2? Personally, I think it’s all rather silly. How can a “war” game hope to compete with A Boy and his Blob? Unless MW2 has a hug button too…
Simeon
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 11:59 AMI’ll be there!!
(in Toowoomba)
For those complaining about EB’s prices, you can take in the receipt after the purchase and get them to back-date the price matching and refund you the difference.
Billy Susanto
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:20 PMyeah i saw the ads yesterday in macquarie centre’s EB … 12.01 AM midnight launch… LOL
shawn
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:21 PMlol just pre-order from somewhere like i did for playasia for the pc version for 56 bucks and let it come in the mail…no lines, no fuss, no hastle
mount-eerie
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12:25 PMDon’t really see the point when I start work 5 hours later. I think the last midnight launch they had was for GTAIV.
@Friar Tuck: If you’re problem is with staff, that really just depends on the particular store. The people at my local EB could not be more friendly and willing to chat about upcoming releases. Where as my local GAME’s staff always seem pre-occupied and never helpful!
Justin Robson
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 1:45 PMI’m really worried now… I didn’t pre order the game… and I really want Hardened. Is it worth ordering the day before it comes out? I can go this afternoon xD
xX imPrEzZa Xx
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:03 PMGoing to get mine tonight from EB Games Southland, Melbourne.
And does EB Games sell Battletoads?
Darius
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:28 PMmmm Battletoads
Nathan Bennell
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:06 PMReally, I have the Prestige Edition pre-ordered but even I wont be going down to my local store at Midnight. What a waste.
Kevin
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:19 PMMidnight launch is boring. I’ve been to Halo 3 one, its boring man. EBGame will charge people full prices. Why not wait until the next day and get it for $77 and DSE or $78 at JB?
lencho
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:54 PMIm in perth and there not allowed to open that late, so i have to wait till tomorow
do you know any store that is selling early??
Karl
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 2:59 PMI just played it in JB HiFi but they won’t sell it unless EB breaks street date..
Justin Robson
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 4:13 PMFunny how reliant they are on each other… I remember when I got Flashpoint 2, they wouldn’t price match me at EB, because JB was going start selling it later in the afternoon… the difference might have been $10, but I said ‘fuck that’ anyway, the guy was just being rude. Walked into another EB five minutes later, and they did it straight up. They’re so inconsistent on things like this.
Karl
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 4:27 PMI think it may have more to do with potential fines for breaking street date. The retailer that does it first will be fined, the second not. Think the fine is pretty steep, but this is all hearsay.
warcroft
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:06 PMBig W
8:30am (on the way to work)
$80
Get more sleep and save money.
ls
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:08 PMwell get them to do break it then
i really want it.
Phil
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:13 PMI wonder if everyone will rush home from midnight launches to play and then realise that Steam won’t decrypt the files until it’s launched in the states.
tom
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 3:43 PMHey just curious on the prestige edition, i pre-ordered at EB for $199, are game, JB or anybody else doing it cheaper? cant see prices online so want to check if i should get EB to lower the price before i had my $$$$$$$ over.
thanks gang
Linh Tran
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 12:43 AMIt’s the same everywhere. $199.95.
Kai Farrar
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 4:18 PMJust cracked the carton, in for a good night of battles online and no sleep.