We’ve just gotten word that Skyrim has now officially broken street date — both GAME and EB have announced through their social media channels that the game is now on sale at all stores.
This news comes after mainstream retailers such as Target, Harvey Norman and Kmart have all sold copies of the game early throughout the day.
We had been given tips throughout yesterday and today that the game would be released at 3pm today, instead of the official date tommorow, but now it’s official — the game is on sale and you can now go and pick up your copies. It’s very possible that both specialist retailers were waiting until stock had reached all stores before breaking.
It’s worth noting that the Steam unlock still remains, so PC gamers will still have to wait.
Regardless — GO GO GO!
I can’t believe it.
Another broken street date? This can’t be good.
It’s not good. It’s freakin’ AWESOME
Pity you cant play it… FFS
STEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAMMMMM!!!!!!
Yeah its stupid that non steam users get to play it if the street date is broken and we dont :/
At the very least they should let us install and then at 12am we download the exe rather then having to wait to install at 12 :/
U can preload it on steam.
Dammit JB HI FI, I reserved a copy of it for tomorrow and all the other retailers broke the street date…
JB should break too man.
JB Stores have been told to start selling as well as of 3pm
JB has broken street date as well… go go go
So… When will Assassin’s Creed break? 😉
(Trigger a Hulk like rage? Haha)
a friend of mine hired it from a video ezy.
i just went and got MW3 from EB damn i wanted skyrim
The advertising must have been confusing…
There is now water all over my desk.
Are you sure that liquid is water…
Starting to think that midnight launches are the only way to secure a game from having it’s street date broken
Even then it would be a dicey thing.
“Dicey”, Battlefield – I get jokes.
Battlefield 3 had midnight launches and I got it 2 days early so even then the game isn’t safe
It’s a good idea, but midnight launches have been cancelled due to street breaks recently, so it’s no guarantee
Which is really bad because some places organise special midnight launches and when the street date breaks they have to cancel them, which includes cancelling any security or mall openings and such.
Guess I hadn’t noticed :S
When you import everything to save yourself $30-40, you become oblivious to the retail market and their shenanigans.
Battlefield 3 says Hi.
It seems the non-games specialist stores need to be thwacked by Distributors. Their staff need to be informed that these games have dates that need to be adhered too.
EB and GAME only seem to break when other outlets do. Which is fair enough, they dont want to lose sales for the sake of sticking out a couple more hours.
Now lets see if ACR and SR3 break on Monday…because I wants 😀
Why the street date is largely irrelevant it doesn’t really cost any store money unless they adhere to the release date after a release break.
Games been available to pirates for a couple of days now. The only reason street dates exist is to allow everyone an equal chance at getting sales and when companies want to aim for a first week/day sales record(or a decent number for shareholders) having it release late the day before the sales week starts means they lose precious copies of there sales total
+1
But hey, shows how much of a damn retailers really give about the marketing and hype. All about the dollars!
shocking :O
Sucks for Steam users like me as well…unlock wont happen till 12 tonight while others are enjoying tonight! What can be done bout this? Seems like its getting pretty silly.
Retail are Steam locked too.
I’m laughing. I really am.
It’s bullshit. I bought the product and they won’t let me use it 🙁
Can’t help but feel something like that should be brought to the ACCC
Jesus Christ are you serious? It’s ONE day. Less than that, it’s like what, five hours now? Calm down. Take your ADD medicine. Think about rainbows or something
“I bought the product but they won’t let me use it”
So, if I prepurchase a game on Steam, and it comes out in a few days and has already downloaded, it’s bullshit if I can’t play it prior to the release date? Shut up. Just because machines aren’t capable of being faggots, breaking dates and RUINING Australia’s retail credibility for video game releases doesn’t make it bullshit. Grow up.
ruining? what the heck are you talking about. breaking release date in no way hurts anyone, except old mate above who can’t wait a few hours for steam to kick in.
PC version is steamworks, so that’s likely to be locked out until midnight anyway. But at least you won’t have to download it and still get the midnight play if that’s what you really want.
I have to work tomorrow, so won’t get to play until Friday night, but I can wait that long (as long as I ignore the internet tomorrow 😉 )
you can preload it 😀
Yep, already did that yesterday!
just called gamesmen in wollongong, and they said they arn’t breaking, and that the local EB/Game haven’t broken the date either… =?
Just picked my copy up from Game Maroochydore after checking their Twitter feed. The lady there wasn’t exactly in the best mood upon checking it 😉 the other clerks started cheering and dancing bahahhahah
I *knew* I should have gone out today rather than wait until tomorrow.. buggerbuggerbugger.. lol
WOOOOO!..
Off to the shops and then home for a nice long (sky)rim job!
You can buy the game..but you can’t read the reviews yet..
down under..
they should call us back to front..
am i right?..am i right?..*crickets*
lol that made me laugh, almost made me forget about my preorder arriving later now
so when can expect user ‘choc’s’ rant about how this is bad for the industry?
if only you knew buddy, if only you knew what this means. 90% of games have broken this year. I can tell you that many publishers are having serious meetings recently about the problem.
yeah they got the IGEA involved….Big deal
2012 things will change. YOu will see. Expect not being able to walk in at 9am on release and buy something to be the norm. Just like USA
They better keep their hands off my beloved Mass Effect 3 and BioShock Infinite release dates. 😉
looking forward to reading your your essay choc; clearly this is a bigger embargo breach than the Battlefield 3 debacle as it seems to have been a ‘calculated’ retailer breach (eg 3pm-sell)…..
I’m with Choc on this one, publishers are going to do something about this and it is likely to lead to lack of stock.
From a retailer perspective any form launch, campaign or event will not happen.
Just think of what the reaction would be from Fox studios if village started breaking the street date on a new release movie. The industries are about the same size, so consider the response to be similar.
The solution is pretty simple – just distribute to the dept stores (Target, Kmart etc al) a week after the boutiques – that way there’s no opportunity for those chains to muck around with the dates
Just wait five years when everything is digital and retail are screwed anyway.
I really don’t see why publishers have to be nazis to Australia. Marking up our games by 50% for no reason at all (they decline to explain why time and time again) is bad enough and now they want to punish us just because we get a game some 12 hours early?
And better yet, why do publishers make a huge deal over this? They had no right at all to make a big deal over the Zelda OoT 3DS break because Gametraders didn’t have an agreement with Nintendo. As for Battlefield 3 and Skyrim, the street dates were broken within 12 hours of the official release. Its not like they’re losing sales over a street date being broken less than 12 hours before release.
“o no shop x is selin our gam 10 hrs early ): ):
we’ll lose milions ): ):
brb filin 4 bankrupcy :'(“
in fact they lose no money, because the publishers already have their money. only people losing money are the stores themselves, by sitting on stick they can’t sell.
Uh oh… did I do that?
Yes. Yes you did.
*Muttley laugh*
11/11/11 is such a Badass date though. Should’ve kept it out of respect!
I’m sad.
Release was my birthday.
Now its not.
Forever Alone…
Already in my hands.
We need bookies now to take bets and gather odds on when/if they’ll break street date.
Just spoke to EB Games in Glen Waverley. They are selling skyrim. Time to pick up my collector’s edition!.
@Mark, did Tracey vomit?
The vomit street date held.
Clearly we much try harder…
I just picked up 2 copies for EB Hobart!
Just called Jb Hi fi frankston and told them about this. The guy was hesitant but said if I gave him an hour to sort out their stock, they will be selling it today too. If you pre ordered from jb, give them a call and ask them because they will most likely concede! 😀
*squeal* Hell yeah! Bout to race out the door to go pick up this bad boy
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I just got it from EB, they price matched Big W price, didn’t even check to see if I was lying.
yeah i tried price matching it with big w at my local EB. He wouldn’t do cos big w arent selling it yet. I hate my EB and is there anyone that can afford to pay $109.95 for a game
I used a vpn and bought it form the UK Steam for $53. Significant drop in price.
Called Game Warringah Mall, guy told me they weren’t selling, this is what happens when I take too long and don’t preorder at JB.
God damn Steam lock!
yea i got mine and was hit with that too meanwhile the consol peasants are happily playing thier inferior versions enjoying the muddy textures
Dry your eyes mate.
i know im just a butthurt PC gamer like a jilted ex after ive seen my former partner with a new guy
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i still have to wait for mine to come in the mail!
*rocks back and forward in corner in fetal position*
I’m currently at work in a Dick Smith store and I just checked our system. The game is still on hold and we haven’t got an e-mail about breaking the date, so it doesn’t look like we’ll be selling it until tomorrow.
I have a friend waiting to get it from Dick Smith Neutral Bay, you wouldn’t happen to work there do you?
Yep, I got informed about half an hour ago that my 360 version was ready to be picked up @ my local EB! Installing it now!
Just called local JB in Melbourne they said they just got word about 30 minutes ago to sell it, will be picking it up on the way home.
It was inevitable. All the major retailers had received stock much earlier than usual and there was little to no fine for breaking the embargo.
Don’t care, it’s still going on a high shelf until December, where it will be joined in time by Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.
…damn uni work…
Target just said no!
Yeah still doesn’t help PC users play the game before midnight though does it? If I could take the day off tomorrow i’d totally buy a copy for the night but since Steam is keeping it locked, I guess I’ll stick with Battlefield 3.
I can see that publishers won’t send out stock untill the street date happening very soon.
Send them in vaults instead. When the date comes they get emailed an cd key to open the vault. Then send the vault back
At least they could justify australian prices by all the vaults they would have to buy
Just got a copy for 79 bucks from one of the JB stores in Perth city. Presumably all selling
Oh Hai Skyrim Collector’s Edition for PC, I- FUCK, gonna be up ’till midnight waiting on the steam unlock.
Just called my local JB (Brighton, Melbourne) and they are going to be selling it in about an hour. SO EXCITE!
Got it 2 hours ago at EB Chapel for $78…seems everyone knows about it now, they only had about 20 copies…got a cloth map too and didnt even pre order.
Me: There’s a post on Kotaku about Skyrim breaking street date
Gorzilla: Really?
Me: Yes
Damn, it cut out the end part:
user has discconnected from your channel
Just picked up my collecters edition from JB HiFI =)
For the love of sweet Jesus, unlock it on Steam please!!!!!!!!!
http://www.jbhifi.com.au/games/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/
It says “Out Now” $79 gonna grab it on the way home
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They may have stock, doesn’t mean their gonna sell it. I work at Big W Menai, and we aren’t selling it till tomorrow.
It’s time for the DISTRIBUTORS to enforce new rules on their customers.
Street date embargo’s are to protect the smaller retailers from not having a product ready for sale at the same time as the big chains. As the bigger chains normally have quicker freight logistics and get their stock to stores sooner than others.
However, the current rules in place seem to be that if one or two retailers start selling then the rest go crazy.
What SHOULD happen….
E.G.: If one or two retailers start selling, not only should they be made to cease selling immediately, but the distributor should send a client-wide memo requesting information of which of their customers (the retailers) HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THEIR STOCK.
If more than 20% (for example, and not to be specific) have not received their stock, the embargo date should be KEPT AND ENFORCED, and any retailer who breaches this should be held financially accountable.
However, if more than 80% of the stores have in fact received their stock, then the distributor should advise retailers the embargo has been lifted.
Although the logistics of doing this in one day sounds immense, I think it is a better solution to the current street dates problems we’ve seen this year. And it provides better safeguards for the smaller retailers.
Mark, what you reckon?
Mark I just reported this post in hopes you’d read it =PP
soz >_<
I ‘reckon’ most people want skyrim now and don’t really give a shit?
I… just dont see many small Games retailers. Haven’t seen them for years and years. I’d assumed high retail prices, digital distribution and the major gaming chains just bought them up or ran them out of town?
Its completely reasonable for a retailer to break a street date if their competition has. They still have to make a profit somehow, and sitting on their thumbs while Dick J. Harvey boutique sell a day or two early would be unrealistic.
OK reasonable for 1 retailer to do it… then who or what gave the reason to the first retailer???
You said its ok to break the chain if someone else does it…. who the hell gave the first retailer permission to start the chain in the first place.. moron.
And as a man who works in logistics, the idea of shipping everything on release day, or late night before release day (you know, to stop people breaking streets) would be wildly expensive, not to mention lead to some retailers having stock whilst others didnt. Something that would, again, cost both the big guys and the small guys money.
Yep every small retail chain I have seen has closed down soon after an EB, GAME or JB have moved in. Between not being able to have the trade in market EB and GAME have and not being able to match JB’s prices they either cut there losses and run or are out of business soon after.
i second this notion.. i dont give a shit.. just because you are stuck at work while we all run and grab it.. late night shopping mate you’ll get there, just hold tight buddy. 🙂 no need to have a sad.. we get the game a day early be happy.
For those who replied who “don’t give a shit”, I’m not raising for the concern of “the individual”. I’m raising for the concern of the video game sector of the retail industry.
If you still don’t get why, refer to this article (and welcome to Kotaku): http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/10/why-street-date-breaks-are-bad-for-the-games-industry-as-a-whole/
In relation to “small/smaller retails”, I would still consider some of the chains “small” retail, but only when in contrast to EB and JB. They are around.
what are these small retailers you talk about. There is no small retailer that sells games at least not near me anyway.
I wish they’d release it on Steam so I can play it when I get home….
Just got my preorder yesterday and only found out after getting on my school bus. Now my my mum says shes to tired to take me back into town to get it and my dads sleeping while by bus is driving in the oppisite direction from eb games. Fml!
I need SKYRIMz
bit of a buzzkill doubledizz,, its just a game, and we want to play, far out! lol
Just picked up my collector’s edition. This thing is monstrous…
i knew is gonna be big but damn it was huge … but for $200 it better be
i missed the posty with my parcel! that prick never likes coming to the front door and prefers me picking it up at the post office! f’ing moron! on top of that its a pickup for tomorrow morning! is it that hard to drop it off when you finish your rounds or are you just another reason why australia is becoming the slack nation?
No it policy for big items to be picked up from the office if no one is home to sign.
Steam retail, I cant even pre download the damn thing. ugh!
Im pretty sure pre-load started already :/
http://store.steampowered.com/news/6733/
If I trick steam into thinking I’m located in the United States………..Will I be able to unlock skyrim NOAW!?!?
i don’t think so, the US is behind us
Just picked it up:D So its go go goooooooooooo – after I clean the house…
gah damn steam lock, least i’ll have time to read the free novel i got with the game haha
For the $70 I saved by ordering from OzGameShop, I’m willing to wait a week. Going to be a slow week though.
So… Is this game worth buying?
Just pre-ordered it online at JB for $79 and comes with the cloth map too. Also ordered the hardcover CE of the guide online so it should be a fun summer break from uni. I’d be excited if i didnt have exams on right now 😐
What time is it going to be unlocked on Steam? Midnight AEST or AEDT. I am in Brisbane
Dickies is selling it now peeps. Go get it!
Dick smith is selling it now peeps. Go get it!
DSE in Broadway refused to sell, saying it was still under QC. Though the two folks I dealt with were pretty inept… So maybe it was their fault. That’s a bummer and prob the last time I pre-order from Dick Smith
=[
Just picked up my copy from JB Hi Fi with the guide! Damn Dark Souls, I’m still trying to finish that though.
There seems to be heaps of confusion about when this will unlock on Steam. Anyone know if we will get it at 12am 11/11/11 or do we have to wait until release date in the US or something?
For those that this isn’t obvious:
Dungeon Crawl in Melb CBD Won’t be getting their stock in/selling it until tomorrow arvo.
What a travesty.
Bethesda won’t be happy about this. They’re counting down to release in their office, while pricks are playing it before even they celebrate launch.
Disgusting. I can’t wait for digital distribution to come along and wipe out brick and mortar by 2013’s end.
Laugh now you pricks, but your $110 dollar release price gouging will soon come to an end.
As much as I love street date breaks, I kinda wished Skyrim would still be released tomorrow. The official date seems more fitting and would be more memorable unlike “10.11.11”. “11.11.11” just seems more epic
i woulda made it 11:11:11 on the 11/11/11 just for epicness 🙂
even phoenix wont let me unpack it until release date.. wtf!? common 9pm!
Is there an awesome trade in deal for this? Like what JB did for MW3?
sooo good. was hoping this would happen, going to head up to hornsby tonight.
I just got home with my copy, but Steam will not let me install because
“Game has not been released”. Bastards
Why did I have to get headaches and book an appointment to the doctor’s right before I learned of this street date break?
DAMN IT
At least I get to enjoy the novelty of playing it on an epic release date.
is there any hope of steam undoing the lock?
Here is a simple solution to street date breaks. Ship the stock in a sealed and locked box. Then, at 11pm on the day before launch you email the lock combination to the clients. They can either open it then and there for the midnight launch or come in before open to put it on the shelf.
You’re welcome gaming industry.
Your solution is to ship games….in a safe? That wouldn’t result in astronomical freight costs at all.
It doesn’t need to be a safe, just some sort of sealed box. It could just be made of plastic. You’d just have to have strict contractual agreements that they can’t tamper with the box. I think it would be enough to stop most street date breaks.
Perhaps force retailers to install software on their cash registers which alert distributors if the game is sold early.
On second thoughts, that would be spyware
I went into my local EB about 1.30pm and the chick behind the counter was just reading the email saying that a Target store had broken the street date. She went and got me one from out the back. Have been playing it for the last 2 hours. DAMN SWEET.
Well Big W didn’t have it, Dick Smith wouldn’t sell it and EB wouldn’t price match it, so screw you retail, you had your chance.
Just bought it via greenmangaming for $54 even though I’ll still have to wait until tomorrow before I play it at least I’ll save money
It’s great that it was released early but seriously, valve could unlock it on steam now….
$79 @ Harvey Norman!! Go go go beats $88 at EB and game.
Got mine from Dick Smith for $70, which ain’t too bad
Just got mine from JB HIFI Forest Hill for $79.00 EB has them too for $109!!
Regarding the “Cloth” Map, this comes with every version of the game and it is not “cloth”. Its a textured paper or something similar…..Really nice….but not cloth…even if you don’t pre-order, it is inside the case. Nice omission by all the major retailers who wanted pre-orders…
Was first to buy at EB in Melbourne. Got a free poster yay! Escaping the dreaded tutorial section as we speak. Master difficulty FTW!
longest 8 hours ever…. EVER!!!
I work at dick smith and we’ve been selling it since 5
people at EB and GAME, and others that broke the street date, should really have told customers that on PC, you still wont be able to play until tomorrow, kinda dick move on their part…
I got the game tonight. Going to play it over the weekend.
On a related note, if a game breaks release then EB Games will only hold a pre order for 48 hours as they usually do. This sucks for me cause if the break happens on a Monday (as it will for Saints Row 3 & ACR next week) I’m going to lose my collectors editions because I can’t pick up my games till thursday due to working in Melbourne CBD till 5pm and not getting near my local (preferred) store till 6pm. Basically had a long chat/argument with the manager about this problem till he caved and said he’d help work something out now that he knows my situation. Sucks that street date breaking is happening to the point where only those willing to risk losing their work money to go pick up a game
Dammit!
I had to preorder my CE version of the game (my local store didn’t have any) and it didn’t come today! >.>
Anyone who preordered the game from EBGames.com.au (it was my last resort), don’t expect your copy until late tomorrow AT THE EARLIEST, or at the worst, by midday on the 14th. That’s what I was told when I called AusPost and asked about my parcel.
Dagnabbit Steam! Picked up my copy from EB (they price matched Dick Smith) and Steam is telling me it’s a duplicate key somehow. So now I can’t play Skyrim and organised a late start at work tomorrow and everything!
Happy midnight to all the Steam players!
Oh whoops – Qld timezone fail!
I bought mine off Aussiegamer and thye don’t send games off till their date. So therefore I have to wait till Monday.
Though I’m a bit annoyed they broke street date….it was such a hyped game and everyone was looking forward to the 11th….
In my opinion it sorta killed it going “oh hay take it on the 10th instead”.