Fallout 3 Midnight Launch Events

Bethesda Softworks sent out a press release this weekend announcing a partnership with Best Buy to sell Fallout 3 right at midnight on its release day.

Bethesda Softworks and Best Buy Bring Fallout 3 to Fans with Midnight Launch Events Across the Country

Fans to Help Usher in One of Year’s Biggest Videogame Launches

October 24, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, and Best Buy Co., Inc. have announced that in response to huge demand for Bethesda’s award-winning upcoming game, Fallout® 3, there will be midnight openings at Best Buy stores across the country the evening of October 27. Best Buy customers at select stores in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago metropolitan areas will be among the first to play one of the most anticipated videogames of the year.

(Fallout 3 has been a labor of love for the team at Bethesda and we can’t wait to get the game into the hands of consumers,) said Todd Howard, Game Director for Fallout 3. (We’re looking forward to celebrating the launch of Fallout 3 with the fans.)

The Fallout 3 team’s hometown Best Buy in Rockville, MD will serve as the flagship location of the midnight events, with special festivities including game kiosks, giveaways, contests and a live broadcast from the event with DC 101 FM. Game director Todd Howard will be on-hand along with other key members of the development team to sign copies of the game and chat with fans. In addition to the Rockville event, 11 Best Buy stores across the country will be hosting special midnight sales events.

Midnight sales event lines will begin forming at 3 pm local time, October 27 at the following Best Buy locations:

Washington, DC area
‘¢ Rockville, MD – 1200 Rockville Pike
‘¢ Tysons Corner, VA 8449 Leesburg Pike

New York Area
‘¢ New York, NY 44th And 5th
‘¢ Westbury, NY 1100 Old Country Rd.

Los Angeles area
‘¢ Glendale, CA 2909 Los Feliz Blvd.
‘¢ Pasadena, CA 3415 E. Foothill Blvd.

Chicago area
‘¢ Chicago, IL. 1000 W. North Ave.
‘¢ Downers Grove, IL 1432 Butterfield Rd

Dallas area
‘¢ Plano, TX 2800 N. Central Expy.
‘¢ Fort Worth, TX 6750 West Fwy.

Minneapolis area
‘¢ Roseville, MN 1643 Country Rd. B2
‘¢ Richfield, MN 1000 W. 78th St.

Fallout 3 will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, in Europe and Australia on October 30 and in the UK on October 31. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008 and a perfect 10 out of 10 from Official Xbox Magazine.

Fallout® 3 has been rated Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit www.BestBuy.com/Fallout3, http://fallout.bethsoft.com and www.prepareforthefuture.com.

About Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a premier developer and worldwide publisher of interactive entertainment software and has produced numerous award-winning titles, most recently with 2006 PC and Xbox 360â„¢ Game of the Year and RPG of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, and the 2002 PC and Xbox® Game of the Year and RPG of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind®. Among Bethesda’s more popular franchises are The Elder Scrolls® series and Fallout®, as well as its licensed properties, such as Star Trek®. Its product line spans the sports, racing, RPG, strategy, and action genres. For more information on Bethesda Softworks’ products, visit www.bethsoft.com.

About Best Buy Co. Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe and China, Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy Co., Inc. family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $40 billion annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, The Carphone Warehouse, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers, and Speakeasy. Approximately 150,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2008, we donated a combined $31.8 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy Co., Inc., visit www.bestbuyinc.com.