New 'Call of Duty' out early at Walmart, others

The latest installment in the blockbuster “Call of Duty” video game franchise goes on sale next week and those that need to be first in line will have to head to Wal-Mart if they didn’t pre-order the game.

For its millions of fans, “Call of Duty” launches amount to a holiday each year. The retail giant is selling a special “Day Zero” edition of “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” 24 hours before its official release, a move that could undercut competitors when it comes to sales of the blockbuster title. Best Buy Co. and others such as Amazon.com Inc. have been taking pre-orders for a game, but Wal-Mart says it is not requiring pre-orders.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says the game will be available at its stores starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, for $60. The move is timed to coincide with Wal-Mart’s announcement that it has started selling used games in 1,700 of its stores. The retail giant started taking used games for trade in March, in exchange for gift cards.