Digital Download for console available at 12am in your local time

katpeeler · Nov 3, 2014

Ok, I ordered a phsical copy of COD Advanced Warfare from my local GameStop. When I showed up a few minutes before midnight the only people was there was the workers. They told me that they sold the game at 11 (CST) because the game was available to play at this time via digital download. After some research on the net it seems this was true. In the past I would have to wait 3 hours before I could play a digitaly downloaded game because we had to wait for the West Coast to hit midnight. Is this going to be a normal thing for all games in the future?? If so I have to go and get me a External HD to put my games on because this is what I will be doing for games I know Im going to keep

Sanji Himura · Nov 4, 2014

For starters, your local Gamestop broke street date, even if it is by an hour. If publishers found out, there will be some consequences for your store.

Secondly, buying a external hard disk wouldn't do you any good for storage. Once you delete a game from your hard disk, you can redownload a title bought from PSN provided that you have enough space available to install it and you are logged in to the account that bought it. For example, if you downloaded NHL 15 and deleted it to free up space, you can later redownload it and install it to your PS4 once you have the necessary space freed up in your system. Besides, External hard disks are not really supported on PS4, only flash disks.

ImaRobot · Nov 4, 2014

Sanji Himura
For starters, your local Gamestop broke street date, even if it is by an hour. If publishers found out, there will be some consequences for your store.

Secondly, buying a external hard disk wouldn't do you any good for storage. Once you delete a game from your hard disk, you can redownload a title bought from PSN provided that you have enough space available to install it and you are logged in to the account that bought it. For example, if you downloaded NHL 15 and deleted it to free up space, you can later redownload it and install it to your PS4 once you have the necessary space freed up in your system. Besides, External hard disks are not really supported on PS4, only flash disks.

I know @katpeeler has an Xbox One, I'm not so sure he has a Ps4. They are supported on the Xbox one.

What you explained about space is pretty much common sense, no? Also, wasn't the game released at 9pm PST for digital downloaders?

Sanji Himura · Nov 4, 2014

ImaRobot
I know @katpeeler has an Xbox One, I'm not so sure he has a Ps4. They are supported on the Xbox one.

What you explained about space is pretty much common sense, no? Also, wasn't the game released at 9pm PST for digital downloaders?

Perhaps knowing what console would have helped. I wouldn't have even replied to the thread if he mentioned that it was for the XBO.

I do know that on the PS4, games do release digitally at Midnight Pacific time, except for certain AAA titles (for example, my next purchase, WWE2K15 will be unlocked at midnight PT, but Assassin's Creed Unity will be unlocked at Midnight Eastern Time). So Call of Duty Advanced Warfare may have gotten the same treatment.

katpeeler · Nov 4, 2014

Sanji Himura
For starters, your local Gamestop broke street date, even if it is by an hour. If publishers found out, there will be some consequences for your store.

Secondly, buying a external hard disk wouldn't do you any good for storage. Once you delete a game from your hard disk, you can redownload a title bought from PSN provided that you have enough space available to install it and you are logged in to the account that bought it. For example, if you downloaded NHL 15 and deleted it to free up space, you can later redownload it and install it to your PS4 once you have the necessary space freed up in your system. Besides, External hard disks are not really supported on PS4, only flash disks.

As ImaRobot said there was not "broke street date" because if you digitaly downloaded COD early you could play the game at 12 Eastern Time...Gamestop did nothing wrong, they lifted the realase date for the game. And my question was if this was going to happen with the rest of them games released...I know the Halo pack was going to be the same according to xbox.com.....I should have explained I was refering to the Xbox but this mainley was for any consoul

Oso Actual · Nov 4, 2014

I think CODAW was available at 11pm here in the midwest. Which would be midnite east coast. Not sure about future games doing this but I wouldn't mind. Also @katpeeler the current situation with people who have the game digitally is a nightmare right now, I'm sure we will hear some PR comments in the days ahead.

Seems people were having long download/install issues even though they had the game pre-ordered and some issues with bonus content. I'm just hoping that we all benefit even though I have had no issues (shhhhh, I'm greedy :lol:

).

katpeeler · Nov 4, 2014

Oso Actual
I think CODAW was available at 11pm here in the midwest. Which would be midnite east coast. Not sure about future games doing this but I wouldn't mind. Also @katpeeler the current situation with people who have the game digitally is a nightmare right now, I'm sure we will hear some PR comments in the days ahead.

Seems people were having long download/install issues even though they had the game pre-ordered and some issues with bonus content. I'm just hoping that we all benefit even though I have had no issues (shhhhh, I'm greedy ).

I have a friend on the West coast that digitaly downloaded a few days ago and he thought (like me) that he wasnt going to be able to play it until Midnight west coast time but when I got home from Gamestop, I told him he could play it now (which was about 12:30am central time) and it took him about as long as it took me to install the game for him to even get into his downloaded copy. So there is something going on with it..Ill find out more tonight when I get off work

Sanji Himura · Nov 4, 2014

If the game was released digitally at a specific time, that's one thing. The digital store front and the publisher have sweet deals that allows for such things.

Retail has no such luxury. They are bound by contracts with the publisher, and could actually be sued for breach of contract for every instance that they sell (or fulfill a pre-order) before a release date. Breaking street date can be costly.

Oso Actual · Nov 4, 2014

Usually you are right but with this case, Best Buy and GameStop sold the game at 12am eastern time, regardless of where you live in the US. Both digital and physical copies.

katpeeler · Nov 4, 2014

Oso Actual
Usually you are right but with this case, Best Buy and GameStop sold the game at 12am eastern time, regardless of where you live in the US. Both digital and physical copies.

You see my thinking is that since Gamestop had a midnight opening maybe this was the loophole. Since stores like Walmart that are open 24/7 every game is capable of being sold at 12am Eastern Time. I for one think its silly that a person has to wait 3 hours before one can play his digitaly downloaded game that normaly he can buy at 12 and play it. If this is the things to come I will be buying a external HD