Retail breaks street date for WOW expansion

Retailers across the UK began selling much anticipated expansion pack World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade over the weekend - ahead of tonight's official launch.
One major supermarket started selling the title on Saturday after taking delivery of stock, and it soon had a knock-on effect as independents and specialist games stores put the title on shelves to defend their positions in a cutthroat market.

The official launch of the game takes place at midnight tonight in four locations across Europe, including HMV's flagship store on London's Oxford Street.

Although the broken street date may be a logistical headache for publisher VU Games and distributor Centresoft, it's not likely to dampen spirits at the official launch. Blizzard designer Jon LeCraft will be on hand to greet the crowd and sign copies of the expansion pack, while fans are being encouraged to dress in WOW costumes.