Every person that calls himself or herself a gamer knows that the Xbox 360, Microsoft's next generation console, is officially launching in North America on Tuesday, November 22. Poor Europe and Japan won't see their launches until Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 10, respectively. The North American launch will be media frenzy, but Microsoft might have a solution to both build the Xbox anticipation and lessen the armloads of young children eager to play on launch day. Sell the software early and let the people just buy the hardware.
Best Buy is rumored to begin selling select Xbox 360 titles on November 15, a whole week before the console's launch. Titles include: Call of Duty 2, Condemned: Criminal Origins, DOA 4, Kameo: Elements of Power, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Quake 4, Perfect Dark: Zero and Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. I haven't been able to find any official confirmation from Best Buy or Microsoft, so please take this as a rumor. But my money is on it being true, for whatever that's worth.
Best Buy - the #1 electronics retailer in the U.S. - has been building up its exclusive items in recent months. It sold the CD/DVD box sets of the Rolling Stones and Elton John weeks and even months before any other retailers could. It also recently sold the DVD box set of the short-lived sci-fi show, Space: Above And Beyond, that could only be found in its stores.
Via Joystiq.
Article comments
1 - Jake Ludington
The offical Xbox launch date is November 22, otherwise the date you cite here for game titles would be *after* the lauch of the console. ;)
2 - Matt Paprocki
Common practice now. The Playstation started it with Total Eclipse Turbo at least a week before the console. Halo, Star Wars Rogue Leader did the same. It's not just Best Buy either. EB should have them within the next week too.
3 - Tan The Man
I guess that makes me not a gamer...
4 - Mark Thomas
All retailers are starting to sell the XB 360 accessories and games prior to the console launch. This is because none of the launch games and accessories are "street-dated" so as soon as they arrive they can be sold.
EB Games and GameStop will be selling them as they arrive next week.