A group of dedicated Zelda fans is camping out in front of the Nintendo Store in New York City to be among the first to buy Tears of the Kingdom – over 48 hours ahead of the open-world game‘s release. It’s a sight straight out of the ‘90s and early 2000s, but it’s also something of a tradition for group leader and content creator Alex Pekala.
Pekala was, as he says, the “dude who got the first Nintendo Switch,” presumably in the United States, and is posting a video blog of the wait in line on YouTube. Whether Pekala becomes the first dude to buy Tears of the Kingdom is unclear, since Nintendo is implementing a War Pipe Pass program. Prospective customers receive a pass that lets them purchase the Zelda game in a specific timeslot, which could be well after midnight.
Made it through the first night! Was cold, but I survived! 💪 About 10 of us out here now.
Let day 2 commence!
(vlog from yesterday is coming very soon 👀) #TearsOfTheKingdom https://t.co/5H0bf3sgpr pic.twitter.com/V2EO1rlnwJ
— Alex CND (@OfficialCND) May 10, 2023
However, the Big N is also hosting a launch livestream with the Nintendo Treehouse crew, so at least folks waiting in line can catch a glimpse of Tears of the Kingdom before playing it themselves.
DAY 1 VLOG IS HERE!!
The wait begins on the streets of NYC. Will I be able to survive until friday?? #TearsOfTheKingdom #NintendoNY pic.twitter.com/q9zuEubJyS
— Alex CND (@OfficialCND) May 10, 2023
While Nintendo holds launch parties and other events at its New York store, sights like these campers are increasingly uncommon. Consumers can purchase games from digital storefronts, pre-load them so they’re available as soon as the clock ticks over, or just buy in advance from online retailers – and hope their copy is delivered on time.
One of the more notable midnight launch campouts happened for Halo 3 in Los Angeles, at the height of High School Musical buzz, when Zac Efron waited in line and essentially turned it into a street party. No celebrities have shown up in the Tears of the Kingdom line just yet, though.
If you’re not keen on waiting in line for two days, you can pick up your copy of Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023. If you’re keen on seeing a tiny bit more of the game and getting a lot of feels in the process, check out Nintendo’s latest trailer for the game while you wait.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
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