The Xbox One release date arrives on Friday with midnight release events and major festivities. Over 10,000 midnight madness events are planned around the world and will be broadcasted on Spike TV and streamed on Spike.com and GameTrailers. You can also watch the launch celebration live on Xbox.com or Xbox Live.
The celebration will begin on Thursday, November 21 at 11 p.m. EST. Viewers will be taken between launch parties in New York City and Los Angeles, where developer and fan interviews will be interspersed with musical performances by Deadmau5 and Macklemore.
Xbox One Launch Events in NYC and L.A.
In the U.S., the midnight celebration will take place in Best Buy Theater at Times Square in New York City. The first 1000 people in line starting at 7am to purchase an Xbox One or Xbox One game during the 8am presale will have an opportunity to enjoy an exclusive concert. The first 2,000 people to purchase an Xbox One on-site get exclusive giveaways including: Powerstar Golf, LocoCycle, 6 months Xbox Live Gold membership and more. Consoles and select games will be offered for sale starting at midnight, beginning with concert attendees.
On the west coast, Xbox fans in Los Angeles are invited to make history at Milk Studios in Hollywood, which will be transformed into a gamer haven, with gameplay stations for Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and other Xbox One game titles. The first 500 people in line starting at 9am to purchase an Xbox One or Xbox One game during the 10am presale will enjoy an exclusive concert with deadmau5.
Midnight release at Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop
The Xbox One release date comes a week after the PS4 and $100 more expensive, if you pre-ordered the new console, be prepared for long lines at Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop. All of these locations will offer midnight release events for fans who pre-ordered as well as shoppers looking to buy one on release day. Also, fans are invited to show off their gaming prowess by entering one of the midnight Killer Instinct tournaments in six select Microsoft stores, full details here.
Best Buy will open its stores two hours early on Friday and would have plenty of controllers, games and other accessories for the Xbox One Release. It is offering a $25 reward certificates with purchase of three select Xbox One Titles. Click here to find out which Best Buy stores will have midnight openings for the Xbox One.
Xbox One Launch Games
Microsoft announced 51 games will be released during the Xbox One's initial launch window including exclusives like Titanfall, Halo 5, Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, as well as multi-platform games such as Assassin's Creed: Black Flag and FIFA 14. Other hits include Ryse: The Son of Rome, Zoo Tycoon, Skylanders, Battlefield 4, Crimson Dragon, Just Dance 2014, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Zumba Fitness: World Party.
Xbox one retails for $499 and come bundled with a Kinect motion control system. It will launch around the world in 13 markets, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Austria.
