Toys R Us puts BioShock on shelves already

by Dustin Burg { Aug 15th 2007 at 11:00AM }

All around the internets gamers are reporting and showing picture proof that BioShock's release date has been broken by a certain retailer and that they have the game in hand. Reports starting surfacing that some Toys R Us stores have "accidentally" placed BioShock on their shelves, with gamers posting pictures of their early release purchase on NeoGAF, Cheap Ass Gamer, The7Gamers, 2K Games forums and more. So, if you have an itch for Big Daddy fun, make a call to your local Toys R Us today to see if they have BioShock available. Lesson learned, you just can't keep a Big Daddy from being released early ... you just can't.

Tags: 2kgames, bioshock, irrationalgames, toysrus

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

mattclarkie @ Aug 15th 2007 11:06AM

24th, 15th. I can see how they got confused.

Clayboy @ Aug 15th 2007 11:08AM

The receipt shows that he bought a strategy guide and the photo looks like it too, not a game!

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 11:09AM

HA! Idiots. You know someones gonna get the shit stick for this.

Carnivale @ Aug 15th 2007 11:13AM

http://the7gamers.com/2007/08/14/bioshock-early-release/

matthew c @ Aug 15th 2007 11:14AM

Clayboy, that is not the guide. The receipt says $29.99 or whatever because if you buy Madden at T R' U you get any other game half off. The receipt just says "Bioshock", and that is WAY too small for for a book. Compare its height to the Madden box.

Modeps @ Aug 15th 2007 11:14AM

@2: No it doesn't. The photo above was cropped. Go look at the original story. The purchaser also used a promo to get it for $30 instead of $60. Its the game, not a guide.

mattclarkie @ Aug 15th 2007 11:18AM

It has to be a game, if you look on the Bioshock box it says NTSC. A strategy guide doesn't say that.

BrianM @ Aug 15th 2007 11:20AM

dodgy Toys are anUs

Duo @ Aug 15th 2007 11:23AM

it's true...saw the story on joystiq at 9:30...was at my Toys R Us at 10:30 and picked up the last copy. The lady said they were flyin off the shelves...

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 11:25AM

Original picture posted here:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1109/1126069559_a8ef1c975e_o.jpg

It's CLEARLY A GAME NOT A GUIDE clayboy.

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 11:26AM

Nice job Duo.

Duo @ Aug 15th 2007 11:32AM

Thanks! The cashier said that the box they were sent in didn't have a "Do not release until..." sticker on them, like they usually do so they just put them out.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 15th 2007 11:32AM

Back from 2003 to 2004 I worked at Toys R Us in the 'R' Zone as the World Leader. (Lead associate.)
I remember coming in at noon one particular day and I received a phone call almost immediately after clocking in. It was a customer asking if there were any more copies of DOOM left on shelves.
I was puzzled for a moment what the customer meant; I knew DOOM wasn't supposed to be sold for another two weeks. I'd told the customer that DOOM was street dated for a specific date, but he insisted that his roommate had just stopped up not but an hour before and got his copy.

Suddenly I realized what associate had worked the opening shift that morning (A careless, balding 18 year old kid named Andy), spun around, and sure enough.. I saw two standard copies of DOOM and four limited edition DOOMs already in the glass case behind me. Two copies had been sold already!

I told the customer that TRU had sold that copy by accident, and that it was street dated.
I grabbed the remaining DOOMs off the shelf as well as something else I can't remember..ANOTHER broken street-dated game Andy had shelved..and as I did so, I received ANOTHER call..this time from Activision!
I was actually fearing for my job at that point, regardless of the fact that I personally had not sold the two DOOM copies. I'm not sure if it was Activision themselves on the phone, or a lawyer representing them,(Or some customer posing AS Activision) but he wished to speak to me directly and essentially threatened court action if the DOOM copies were not pulled from shelves. Before he got any farther I'd made sure to tell him I was fully aware of the mistake the previous associate had made, and I had the copies already in hand to set back in the stock room.
That little crisis was averted, but Toys R Us constantly breaks street date like that due to the fact that nine times out of ten, the associates in that department could care less about video games. Those that do care are constantly given the short end of the stick in that regard!

A little heads-up to gamers; stop into your local TRU a day or two before a game is supposed to be sold and you might just get your copy early. The shipment boxes almost ALWAYS have big orange 'do not sell before' stickers plastered on the sides, but most stores break down and destroy those boxes weeks before street date. Odds are you might just find that one associate that isn't aware of street date, and you could end up with getting your game on before your buddies!

-Don't try that with Halo or something big; street date is widely known for those titles. Nintendo typically doesn't even SHIP games until street date because of this; the first DS shipment of systems didn't arrive until the day TRU was to sell them. That had a lot of Nintendo fanboys lining up and worried until the last minute!

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 11:38AM

Toph/Magic...Insightful...as always.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 15th 2007 11:39AM

Haha thanks man

chenry @ Aug 15th 2007 11:44AM

@2: it's a wee small for a book, isn't it?

Grant @ Aug 15th 2007 11:48AM

i want this pretty damn bad,
but i just got a reward zone coupon for $30!
So looks like BB gets my business. bastards.

"24th, 15th. I can see how they got confused."
and in the US it's releasing on the 21st, 24th is everywhere else.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 15th 2007 11:50AM

That above pic of the Bioshock product is 100% the game. Check out the groovy prism colors on the box art, yo.

Feelz Good @ Aug 15th 2007 11:54AM

Yeah, let's all post about it and show pictures so that those of us with lives can't go get it later. Thanks internet.

simon @ Aug 15th 2007 11:55AM

Just called my TRU in toledo, oh, they have 5 left, theyre holding one for me to pick up on my lunch break.. friggin' A...

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 15th 2007 11:58AM

Simon, I'm in Cincinnati..

Anyway, I wouldn't assume your copy really IS 'on hold'...most of the times they say they'll do that to get customers off of the phone, but they really don't or can't place holds...scramble up there asap, man!

refinedsugar @ Aug 15th 2007 12:21PM

lol .... Nicely said, Feelz Good.

mark @ Aug 15th 2007 12:24PM

yea, mine is on hold in upstate new york, hopefully they don't catch on by the time i get there

Peter Rugo @ Aug 15th 2007 12:25PM

Just called local toys r us (chicago) and i asked to be transfered to electronics and they said are u askin bout bioshock and i said yes and they said we don't have any

Dapper Dan @ Aug 15th 2007 12:26PM

fayetteville, ga. has them also, i just called. i however will not be buying one from there because i want the gamestop limited edition with the big daddy figurine!

hotdogsplinter @ Aug 15th 2007 12:34PM

the TRU website isnt even displaying Bioshock as available till the 21st, but i just called the store in camp hill, pa, theyre holding one for me... cant fucking wait.

whiskey, i feel you, i used to run the RZone counter at TRU and we were always really skitzy about street dates...

erivera3 @ Aug 15th 2007 12:37PM

For those that have the game, how is it? Is it decent at least or poo?

adam @ Aug 15th 2007 12:55PM

Just got back from my GameStop (Orlando, FL) as well. I know the manager there and he stated to me, exactly what you just said. They (GameStop) are pissed that TRU broke the date and they (GameStop) are in talks with 2K to see if they can release BioShock prior to August 21st. If they can they should know within the next 24-36 Hours and will be calling there customers to let them know.

In addition they (GameStop) have already had their district managers call the TRU's in their districts and pull the BioShock copies they had yet to sell.

Bad Andy @ Aug 15th 2007 12:59PM

Picked up my copy at lunch. 3 copies actually, for friends.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t189/andy_bad1/BioShock.jpg

mkveliferrari @ Aug 15th 2007 1:06PM

the 3 local toyrus stores i called @ 10am all said they are not available and some even said they aren't available til the 21st -_-

Tr1ggaSpazM @ Aug 15th 2007 1:07PM

The Toys R Us here in NJ said that it goes on sale on Friday, the 17th.

Sunny @ Aug 15th 2007 1:19PM

I'm at work but I was able to con my brother into calling around for me. Our Toys 'R Us (Rockford, IL) said they do have it, but one of the EBGames also had one LE Pre-order left, so I'm gonna scoop that up instead. I had been meaning to get in there to get a pre-order done one of these days but for some reason my mind kept telling me it was in September...

BTex @ Aug 15th 2007 1:55PM

My TRU in Melbourne,Fl
were sold out of the 6 copies they had.
That was at noon.

tony @ Aug 15th 2007 1:56PM

haha! i got mine in fayettevile ga. was the first person to buy one and then the manager came over to me on my way out and asked me if i could return it because she found out that it isnt suppose to be on sale til the 21st. she was like, i guarentee you will get your copy then. if not well get fined. i asked her if i was required to return it or not. she said no you dont have to but it would be nice if you did i laughed at her and walked out th edoor with m new copy of bioshock. hahah!!

john doe @ Aug 15th 2007 1:56PM

I live in Calgary A.B and iv called all the TRU and EB games stores in my area but not all of calgary. TRU told me they didint have any i forgot to ask if they even had any out today.
EB told me the relese date is the 21st and thats the ship date aswell. i told him whats what witha good jab jab straight. but yea if your in my area and youv got a copy post wher abouts it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 2:20PM

I'm tempted to call TRU here in Toronto, but there aren't any close to me, so I won't even bother. I'm not even into this game. lol

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 2:20PM

*the TRUs here in Toronto...

TORO @ Aug 15th 2007 2:35PM

I wasn't too much into this game either Dj, but the Demo was spectacular. I wish I could rent this game for about a month :(

Livan @ Aug 15th 2007 2:39PM

Went to Toys R Us in NJ At 250 Rt46 East. Purchased Madden 08 and got Bioshock for $29.99. Until August 18, purchase Madden 08 (any system) and get 2nd title of equal or lesser value for 50% off. What a deal!!! Thanks for the heads up.

This Charming Man @ Aug 15th 2007 2:43PM

Anybody find one in Los Angeles that has it?

ProfessorStreet @ Aug 15th 2007 2:43PM

After reading this I went by my Toys R Us. I didn't see Bioshock on the shelves so I asked the guy behind the counter and he asked me why I was looking for it because its not out yet. I pretended I didn't know the actual release date. So then he pulls out this paper that looks like its from TRU headquarters and starts writing on it. So then he asks me if I went to any other stores looking for it.

CORPORATE TOYS R US KNOWS ABOUT THE STREET DATE BREAK! THEY ARE KEEPING TRACK OF PEOPLE COMING IN ASKING FOR IT. THEY'VE ALREADY ALERTED ALL OF THEIR STORES!

William @ Aug 15th 2007 2:59PM

I had called around at 10am and all the stores said they had not received their stock yet. I called around 12:30 and one store in Northern St. Louis had sold out but every other store said they did not receive any. I went to the store close by my house at 1pm and they said that they were not allowed to sell them and they had just gotten a memo about it. That is around the Saint Louis area. For Toys R Us. I really wish I would have been able to get one.

I heard that if you report it you can keep the game and they give you a money reward, the game company.

simon @ Aug 15th 2007 3:06PM

damnit... by the time my lunch rolled around, i got to the store, they had been instructed to pull bioshock from the shelves 20 mins before i got there...

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 3:33PM

Aww...sucks for all the people that didnt get it... :(

vidGuy @ Aug 15th 2007 3:41PM

I didn't have any luck in-store but I went to toysrus.com and ordered Madden 08 and Bioshock for less than $100, shipping included - that's only $30 for Bioshock! I'll get Madden this week and Bioshock next.

DjDATZ @ Aug 15th 2007 3:46PM

http://www.theliveeye.com/game.asp?ID=875

apparently, people are already playing it. LOL

Tmello56 @ Aug 15th 2007 4:09PM

NOO the Toys R Us here said that it doesn't come out till the 21st, why cant they be screw ups like the rest of the stores?

sincere7745 @ Aug 15th 2007 4:17PM

i called 3 TRU's in my area, 2 of them told me that it doesn't come out until the 21st and the last one told me that TRU did an early release special but they didn't get their shipment in. So i dunno what to tell you. I figure since this seems like a big deal, somewhere along the line it'll get released early everywhere.

Bad Andy @ Aug 15th 2007 4:36PM

@42 Where do you find out about this reward? I have 3 copies in my hand. That would be cool.

xenocidic @ Aug 15th 2007 4:37PM

@djdatz, heh, i had the exact same experience this morning after I saw this news item, I started to get all excited about getting this game a week early - meanwhile it's not even on my radar of games i want to get , lol. called a toys'r'us in mississauga and the guy was quick to state the game hasn't been released yet.

@toro, if you're in Canada (and possibly the USA), blockbuster has a "no late fees" policy. so you rent the game, keep it for up to 45 days and return it and only pay a "restocking fee" of $1.75 (a late fee by any other name, wouldst still smell as sweet?)

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