Oz Burning Crusade midnight launches detailed

Aussie World of Warcraft players who absolutely must have the game's first expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, the moment it's released here on January 17 are in luck, with confirmation today that all EB Games and Gameswizards stores across the nation will be open for midnight preorder pickups on the day of the game's release.

Vivendi Games Australia product marketing manager Chris Davey told GameSpot AU that as well as EB Games and Gameswizards stores, selected Harvey Norman outlets and independent games stores will also be open come 12:01 a.m. on January 17. The "flagship" launch will be at EB Games in Chatswood, Sydney, where entertainment, trivia, and costume competitions will be held from 10 p.m. on January 16. EB Games Australia merchandising manager Jill Maxwell said in a statement that The Burning Crusade was the company's biggest PC game launch so far. "Our Burning Crusade preorders have already broken all our previous presale records, so we're expecting a big crowd to turn up at our Chatswood store for the midnight launch," she said.

Vivendi's Davey would not disclose how many World of Warcraft subscribers there were in Australia, but did say the game has more than 7.5 million players globally. The Burning Crusade adds two new races to WOW, a new continent, a new profession, and a level-cap increase to 70.