I couldn't believe when I saw this was available to pre-purchase on Steam, 6 months before its out!? Early Access is one thing but this just completely takes the cake. Is this the longest a game has ever been available for pre-purchase or have a missed some other notable examples?

@pinner458: You can go to gamestop and pre-purchase any game that's been announced pretty much, including ones with no release date.

Example: I can currently pre-purchase a copy of MGSV, Cyberpunk 2077, The Order 1886, Halo 5 etc etc.

How is this any different than going to a store and preordering a game? I mean...are you really that outraged by this? Seems a bit much. I know certain game retailers have had games up for pre-order at least a year before the title's release...

You could pre-order Duke Nukem Forever in 1997.

@jesus_phish: @sammo21: I just feel its a very different situation when its a digital download. And I'm not outraged at all man, I don't think I come off as being particularly annoyed, just a bit perplexed...

Tbf Steam usually takes your money if you pre-purchase something (hence pre-purchase and not pre-order I guess) so I understand why people think it's a tad ridiculous.

Also it's always the same every year, as soon as they announce the new CoD you can instantly pre-purchase it.

@pinner458: I don't really see how though?

@alexw00d: You can give gamestop full payment of a pre-order and they'll accept it.

@alexw00d: When I preorder games at Gamestop I pay for them in full...

LOL!

I remember having Twilight Princess preordered at...Game Crazy? That was like 2 years before the game came out (as they never had a locked down release date at the time). I think I paid like $10 but I never got my money back or my copy of the game from that store.

Oh ok. The only time I pre-ordered here they just took my name and I paid when I went to collect the game.

@alexw00d: its an option, honestly. I know that most people only shell out the minimum (typically $5). I only ever get games from Gamestop when I want it on a midnight release. Normally I will get a game from Amazon and have it delivered same day so it shows up about an hour before I come home from work.

It's ever so slightly irksome that the pre-order on Steam is a 'Featured Item,' I hope it doesn't end up hanging around for the next 6 months. I'd rather see more relevant content up there.

You should be able to preorder games on Steam as soon as they are announced, and atleast they don't have a digital deluxe edition or the dlc already up to preorder. Watch Dogs has been up for preorder for a while because it was originally supposed to be a PS4 launch title.

@pinner458: it's nothing extraordinary - plenty of games let you pre-order on Steam quite early.

In America they take the full amount, because... well no good reason really.

@bollard: huh? What do you mean? All the places who take pre-orders that I've ever been to only ask for $5...

It makes sense to list it now because the trailer is fresh on people's minds. It's not as if there's a substantial risk of the project folding at this point.

It would be nice if pre-orders on Steam let you back out, so you could get the bonuses at lesser risk.

Surprise! Companies want your money ASAP!

This isn't anything different than any other Call of Duty. Why else do you think their pre-order numbers reach astronomical levels?

Oh I thought Gamestop always took the full amount? Maybe it's just certain parts of the US then, it's a big place. But still, if you walked into GAME in the UK and they asked you to pay £5 for a preorder, people would go somewhere else.

@bollard: Nah, no Gamestop in the US requires full price for a game pre-order unless you are pre-ordering the game online. Pre-orders for standard editions of games are $5, special editions vary with price from $10-25, and console pre-orders have been around $50.

I think even here they make you put down like £20 on a console preorder to be fair.

In Canada (EB Games) it's $5 on any game (collectors or not) and $50 for hardware pre-orders.

Amazon will take preorders at no charge, but you do have to give them a valid credit card number.

Digital pre-orders are the worst, since quantity isn't limited anyway, and you pay in full up front. Only time I do it is if theres a discounted price, or the bonus is really enticing. Even then i'll just wait until pre-load would begin to do it.

Digital preorders don't make much sense to me, there is infinite stock and they want you to pay up front in full. I'd rather not give game companies a 6 month interest free loan for nothing in return.

The second a game is announced, even if it doesn't have a box shot or concept art; Ebgames will be there to take a pre-order of it. Steam is either using that method now for advertising games OR the business men backing the COD franchise figured out how to make money before a game ships. The later seems the most likely.

More like Call of Duty: Advanced PAYMENT!

right?