Not HMV - but that lying indie yesterday in the comments of one of the stories who claimed that he had customers in his shop with copies in hand they had from HMV. when will indies understand that this is all part of the reason why its hard to take them seriously - they exaggerate. A customer tells him that they've got the confirmation email from HMV but by the time it comes to leaving a comment on HMV this has multiplied and transformed in the indies head and has now become that hes got the copy in his hands. What a joke.

I was on here the other day saying I got an email saying mine was dispatched from hmv. It said it would be delivered in 1-3 days, like a fool I believed it and made arrangements to be in for collection. Now I read this, surely a follow up email saying that the other was sent in error wouldn't be too difficult. I'm not miffed that I won't be getting it early as that's always a bonus not a right. To top it off I payed extra postage, but that seems to have no bearing on delivery method.

I also received the email saying it had been posted & that it would be with me in 2-5 days causing me to panic & arrange for someone to be in to take a possible delivery this week. And now we're told they haven't been posted at all. Not on really. Another email please from HMV saying they're not in the post at all would be good.

So they will tell websites that havent even ordered it from them that the email they sent to REAL customers was (in realiity) a load of bullshit? Nobs.

why is it that the only time people are bitching about not getting their game 3 days or even a week early as warehouses let them go.Its the biggest game of the year and they cant get it .BOO HOO , bout time online retailers start realising they cant do it all the time for knowingly breaking dates week in week out and get away with it,not to boot an award!!!BIG UP ROYAL MAIL FOR PICKING THIS WEEKEND FOR THE DISRUPTION.( A STREET EMBARGO IS A STREET DATE EMBARGO,SIGN IT AND ADHERE TO IT!!!!)

The penalties for breaking street dates can be severe. They're simply covering their tracks. They HAVE to make a statement or a free for all ensues

Severe penalties for breaking street dates? Perhaps for indies, but no national retail has ever paid a price for selling early. You think Gem would stop supplying Asda or Tesco if they went early? And cut off a huge chunk of their potential sales? Wake up.

I arranged for someone to be in this week too - it's not good practise sending an inaccurate e-mail just to take the funds and print the stickers without sending another one with the correct details!
I'm not hanging around home all day on Tuesday, losing a day's wage eager to play, just for the courier to get around to delivering it in sometime the evening!

To be fair its the publisher that makes the call not the distributor.

What does happen rather than stopping supply is later deliveries and also marketing contribution gets slashed or pulled for said title.

Obvioulsy lots of negotiation takes place around this. Usually if the retailer in question takes firm action this can elliviate the situation.

To be fair, it extremely difficult for generalists supermarkets to adeer to street dates. They have a huge churn of staff which makes things extremely difficult to impliment from a operational point of view.

Not an excuse just a fact

These are showing in stock despatched in 24hrs. street date wont last until tuesday at this rate. Tear those street agreements and decrease your csoft orders and get your grey back up stock sorted. National stores are ready to launch this week end

Do us a favour and stop trying to stir up the hornets nest, see the * sign on the listing on PLAY.com?

"*PLAY will despatch your order in time to be delivered on release day. Delivery is subject to our delivery partners achieving standard delivery guarantees. PLAY take no responsibility for late delivery due to card failures, incorrect address details or failure on the part of the delivery partner.

That little part, delivered on Release Date, as has been mentioned, no one would be stupid enough to break release date and piss Activision off. Penatlys do not always take the form of fines either, where I work threats of smaller allocations or slolwer restocking was just as effective.

Game / Gamestation have there stock sat in the storerooms atm. Game staff are apparently not allowed to take stock but gamestation staff are and allowed to sort out mates also.

Be interesting to see if anything happens to them.

No, Game/Gamestation are not allowed to "sort out mates". We have had strict instructions from above that this tile is "embargoed", that means we don't get it early either. Anyone caught selling/taking it early will be severely disciplined I can assure you.

So Deejdave - You confirm that Game already have MW2 in store.

Why is it that Game have the game instore yet indies are not getting deliveries until Monday? Are indies second class citizens in the eyes of Activision.

I would like to hear a official answer to this.

What is your problem? who are you really? I have been watching you bitching for months about indies. Are you a developer? publisher? or distributor. Before you start no i am not an indie, i work for HMV and was a Zavvi before that. I feel for indies as does my store. You are always whining like someone out of coronation street (sad bloke). Grow up.

At Gamestation we are not even allowed to open the game, or guide, or have a look out of hours on a store machine. They're all sitting in boxes until the launch. No early buying, and if anyone sorted "mates" out, they'd be kicked out of the company in short order.

Isn't it around this time someone claims that some dozy sod in Tesco is selling them early and all chaos enthuses?

Considering ODST was available THREE WEEKS before release (not even mentioning the pirate copies available) a few days isn't much anyway.

Besides there's a guy in the UAE with a European copy on Youtube who has it now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDkd9AS8ZBk

So that is some proof someone's been naughty.

@MCV

Get someone from Centresoft on the phone and ask the why Game have MW2 instore, yet indies will not get delivery untill Monday?

Why? What possible difference does it make? Game/HMV get stock presumably because they're a huge national retailers and logistically it make sense. If no-one can sell the damned game til Tuesday anyway, who cares who got stock first?!

If you DIDN'T get your stock in time for Tuesday, then you'd have every right to complain for sure, but until that does/doesn't then surely this entire debate is completely pointless.

If you think it does not matter, then what is the harm in asking the question?

Problems arise when a national, be it Argos, Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco Or Game sell early the indies with no stock are in no position to react - And can only watch as their customers go up the road to get the game early.

Logistically why is it harder for deliverys to be made to Game on Monday, than it is for indies? Game stores nationally will still be receiving deliveries on Monday - Restocks from the weekend, so why would it be so hard for them to get MW2 Monday also?

But isn't that just it - IF the street date gets broken?

From the article above: "2009 has been, on the whole, free of any notable street date breaks."

I'm a casual observer of the games industry, but it seems to me it's rife with bitterness and paranoia.

Surely if sanctions were severe enough, then street dates would never be broken and issues such as bis stores getting stock before smaller ones would be a thing of the past? Or is that just too simplistic a view?

Dear Bob: GAME have direct relationships with Publishers. They also need to take the stock into a warehouse and distribute. They have the lions share of the market and will have taken in several 100,000 units. Activision have built ridiculous amounts of stock. Logistically they will have had to stagger shipments. The big boys get first dibs.

Just read this :

http://www.avforums.com/forums/call-duty-cod-xbox-360/1117256-cod-mw2-preorder-delivery-thread-v2-read-first-post-before-posting-please-16.html

Looks like preorders from The Hut have arrived today

Actually, MCV, don't ask GAME that because doing so would make you look stupid. Bob - GAME are a national chain with hundreds of stores. Logistically thet need their copies early. an indie buying a dozen copies isn't burdened with the same logistics so Monday will be more than early enough. In fact, if I was a publisher I'd insist indies get it on the day of release because they're the most likely to sell early.

Indies are the most likely to sell early, yet there is already photos on various forums of games received from thehut, tesco and asda, all with a photo of the receipt too.

I as an indie would be too scared to sell it early, its not like i can afford to fall out with activision and not receive stock of the next MW/warcraft etc.

As for the big boys shipping it early, i bet they dont even get a slap on the wrist.

Quote
CEX is currently selling the PlayStation 3 version of Modern Warfare 2 in its Camden store for £75, £20 higher than the official RRP.

http://www.gamerzines.com/ps3/news/mw2-on-sale-in-uk-cex.html

GAME in Glasgow were selling copies today but were told to take them back off the shelves. The HMV where i work has had the stock in since yesterday (thursday) but unlike some, we adhere to release dates. Indie retailers sometimes get their stock later because most of them i.e g-force seem to have a problem in adhering to said release dates and therefore can't be trusted. I'm sick of folk coming in after being shopping at g-force, picking up a pre-order cover of a game and sayin 'here mate, ye'v goat that date wrang, g-force ur sellin it man'. Maybe if they stop being cowboys and stop taking it upon themselves to break the street agreement then maybe distributors will trust them with stock.

Regarding the HMV online orders, I take it ParcelForce won't be delivering at midnight tonight, when everyone else is legitimately getting their copies?
It may seem petty but unless it's delivered today, this is my last online pre-order for a game of this scale...

I cant see how you can blame a company for doing what it sees as being best for it's customer. If those work shy posties hadn't of threatened another walkout we wouldn't have had any of this. I for one am glad I got mine early the game is awesome. Well done Zavvi for looking after your customers!

I am now waiting for my HMV Pre-order.

I gave them a call last week, after their bullsh!t email quoting it had been dispatched.

They said " the stock is due to be sent out over the weekend, FOR release date", not ON release date.

Surely parcelforce will be next bussiness day delivery, thus hopefully today FOR release day..........

Fingers crossed....

***UPDATE***

Just arrived!!

Woohoo

Mine is here too!!

I know it is a privalige to get the games early but i too organised a day off work which just happened to be my last day i could book until nxt april so thanks for that HMV. I only used them as i wanted the prestige edition but once it's here i won't be using them again. £44.99 for just the game as well when ASDA are doing it for £32 thats pants!!!

i recieved my cod mw2 today at 10 am from HMV
and i did get an email last week saying that it had been dispatched

Still waiting for Play to deliver my copy. Phoned up and was told yesterday that it would be by Home Delivery Network, and today that it would be Royal Mail Special Delivery. RUBBISH.
Amazon turned up today, a day late and no apology, also RUBBISH.

im still waiting for mine....and the post has already been..meaning ill most likley get it sometime nextweek, i fucking hate hmv