Some customers have received their copies of GTA 5 on Saturday, four days ahead of the September 17 release date tomorrow.
GTA 5 pre-order copies landed on the doorsteps of some lucky gamers after Amazon UK apparently shipped them earlier than expected.
Rockstar has said it is “investigating” the issue, especially as it recently imposed GTA 5 shipping restrictions meaning the game could have missed release date arrivals.
“We are in the process of investigating early ‘sales’ to determine how and why that is occurring,” said Rockstar in a statement to GamesIndustry International.
It’s not unusual for online retailers to ship games earlier than the release date, just so that they can ensure eager gamers actually get the game on the correct day.
However, with some gamers posting pictures of GTA 5 on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday, complete with Amazon UK delivery note, it seems the online retailer may have been a little too eager.
What will irk gamers more is that one of the early shipments was for a copy order only ten days ago on September 6, beating it through the letterbox of those loyal fans who pre-ordered their copies months previously.
Last week, Rockstar confirmed that the PSN GTA 5 pre-load date had been pushed, rather than the 17GB download becoming available on Friday, September 13.
Over the weekend, Amazon announced that GTA 5 for Xbox 360 sold out ahead of the release date tomorrow, despite the online retail giant still offering the game for pre-order.
“Please note – due to high demand, orders placed for Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360) from September 13 will be shipped as soon as we receive inventory,” reads the retailer’s website.
Rockstar Games released a Blaine County GTA 5 trailer over the weekend, as the last teaser before tomorrow’s release date.
Next, read our pick of the best games of 2013.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
