Wal-Mart is getting a head start with Activision's latest Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare by launching the title 24 hours before the official release on Nov. 4.
If the wait for the new Call of Duty game feels way too long, then here's some good news. Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, is bringing the Day Zero Edition of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, a day earlier than its general release. To kick off the exclusive launch window, the retailer is hosting special events starting November 2 at 10 p.m. local time at more than 2,800 stores across the nation.
The event will allow fans to play the game and get freebies while they wait for the early launch of the new CoD title at 12.01 a.m., Nov. 3 local time, USA Today reports.
Wal-Mart is all set for the big launch and is confident that the stocks will not run out at any of its stores. The new Call of Duty title will be released at Wal-Mart as well as GameStop 24 hours before the game's general release date of November 4, according to media reports.
"We're not going to run out," said Laura Phillips, senior vice president of entertainment for Wal-Mart. "We'll have plenty of inventory, and customers will be able to walk out with the game."
The Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero edition, which will be sold early to the customers, will include additional perks such as access to several exclusive weapons including the AK-12G Assault Rifle, Crossbow B-2, Bullet Brass Exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum Directed Energy Weapon. Gamers have been given an option to pre-order the Day Zero edition from various retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco and GameStop since August, but the retailers had limited stocks.
Call of Duty series has been an important money wending franchise for Activision, which has garnered sales worth $10 billion since the first CoD title in 2003.
In addition to the new CoD release, Wal-Mart will also open its gates for used video game sales. The retailer will sell certified pre-owned video games at 1,700 of its nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. Wal-Mart started the used-game business in March, but kept buying video games in exchange for other products at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. With enough stock to entertain the upcoming demand this holiday season, the retailer will stock 40 to 100 repackaged and refurbished titles in each store, based on the demand of the market.
