Remembering the Hype of Midnight Launch Events

gamerant.com:

Midnight launches were once huge events when new AAA games were set to release, or a new console was about to hit the market. However, since COVID-19 hit brick-and-mortar stores like GameStop, forcing them to rethink how to stay open while keeping staff and shoppers safe, midnight launches seem to be a thing of the past. It doesn't help that many games or consoles are now ordered online and delivered right to players' doors, leaving the justification of a midnight launch event diminished.

As understandable as it might be to not encourage mass gatherings in the face of a global pandemic, many are now wondering if midnight launches will return with vaccines available. Much like E3's plans for a 2023 return, some believe midnight launches could come back around as a sign that life is returning to some sense of normalcy. But with no major midnight launches seemingly planned for the foreseeable future, fans can only reflect upon the hype that came with such events.

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Before online ordering was more than a dream, players would need to stake out their local store to wait in long lines just in the hopes of picking up limited copies of new releases. Even if it meant sacrificing time and comfort to get one's hands on something early, it was a prestige some players considered worth the effort. That's why GameStop's midnight launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops was one of the biggest in its history back in 2010.

Even as the Internet began to evolve and provide alternatives to sitting in camping chairs outside GameStop, midnight launches persisted. Though functionally redundant, it's likely their prevalence in early gamers' lives had become a tradition for the industry. In spite of digital downloads