Asmongold TV - The Death of Midnight Releases | Asmongold Reacts | Asmongold

Episode Date: July 12, 2025

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This has been a video it's come out a while ago, and it's about something that's really kind of sad. Back in a day, midnight releases used to be the norm, because you didn't have digital downloads the way the kids nowadays do. So you had to go to the store, and you would pre-order a game so the GameStop had that many games available. 3,000 years ago. All of you, the coolest piece of gaming history. that I own. It's this Halo 3 legendary edition Master Chief helmet. That's a big one. Now what's really cool about this is you will notice it has all these signatures. And if you look right there, 925-07. This helmet was purchased on the midnight release of Halo 3. My friend

gave it to me, thank you, Peter. And by some enormous stroke of luck, he ran into a bunch of bungee developers at the time. It has been 6,234 days. since this helmet was purchased as of it's a long time and since this was gifted to me i that's a long oh jesus christ that is a long wow it's almost 20 years i've gotten it signed by one of the composers for the one gil lordie o'donnell yeah i've gotten it signed by steve downs the voice of master chief yeah by jenn taylor the voice of cortana and hall jesus and by brian gerard aka sketch the community manager as far as i'm aware this is a one-of-a-kind piece of of gaming and Halo history.

And the reason I bring it up is because this would not exist without the midnight release. Exactly. What's up, everybody? This is the act man here. Well, they were almost like little mini conventions almost because like online games, like in, like for example with World of Warcraft, you would never really see other people out in the wild that would play the game that often. But like you'd go to the midnight release and everybody would be there for the game. It was huge. I'm finally digging up the time capsule.

Oh, no, no. That's unfortunate. That is unfortunate. The one that's been buried for many years. We're diving into the past to reconnect with a part of gaming culture that has been lost to the sands of time. Yep. The midnight release of video games. A joyous event where gamers from all walks of life.

From 2004 to 2008, that Halo era was unmatched. It was so fucking good. It's insane. Around the world would leave their cockroach-infested dens. Dozens of grown men and probably about three women have crawled out of their parents' basement. Hey, hey, hey, you son of a bitch. You stupid ass, now you're crying about Donald Trump. And this is what you used to do?

Set off into the darkness, head to the nearest game stuff. Can you promote an NFT on your show? Suck a dick. And impatiently wait for the clock to hit me the night. Once a core staple of the gaming world, it has since been replaced by... That was my first midnight release was Burning Crusade. I will never forget it, man. It was like a...

It was a really, really cold day. And I've told this story before. I'm going to tell it again. I don't care. I go in and we check my mom and I, we drive over in her shitty fucking truck, right? And it was a nice car, but it came out in 1985. And Bernie Crusade, if you guys remember, it wasn't two... 2007. And so anyway, we end up going to steak and shake because we saw the game stop was closed.

And we thought, oh, well, we'll just wait for it. So my mom and I, we went to steak and shake and we were eating while we waited for the game to. And it was super, super, super, super cold, right? And while we were waiting. And then we were talking about wow and everything. Because like her and I played together all the time. And then we looked over and it was like everybody was a game stop. So we immediately fucking leave. We pay for the food. And then we go over there. And we waited in line. And I remember. remember that night my mom bought me Burning Crusade one for herself and then I got a special t-shirt with Iladin on it on the day release of Burning Crusade and then I went home and I played it until six in the morning and then I woke up the next day and I swear to God it was a fucking snow day and I was having this conversation with like somebody like literally yesterday it made me almost believe in God. I was thinking to myself, show the shirt. It's downstairs. Of course I still have the shirt. I do. I probably, in my Burning Crusade video, I probably talked this. I probably told this exact same story and I probably showed the shirt. So yeah, it was the one that I wore on the day that Burning Crusade released. So yeah, I get it. I don't know exactly where it is right now. In Texas, yes, exactly. And we only would get usually one or two snow days a year. And it was on the day that Burning Crusade released. And I'm thinking to myself, oh my God, maybe he's real. Online retailers and digital storefronts.

And as these events fade further and further into obscurity, I want to remind everyone what we've been missing. I'm going to haul on in the mother fucking paint, nigga. What's you thinking, nigga? I go haul for black ops. But first, do you love... Bro, that is so too... Because everybody, people loved...

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soldier, so don't wait. Join to become one of the 70 million players who have downloaded War Thunder. Download War Thunder today and write your version of history in the books. And now for something completely different. Isn't it sad that younger generations can't experience the thrill of waiting five hours and the freezing November cold to buy a video game and then go? I wish I could go back. I do. It was so good. The only thing that you get close nowadays, and like, you know what the current version of this is?

Here's what's so sad. This is the current version of midnight releases. This is it. This is the new version of midnight releases. This is how our society has deteriorated. Okay? Yep. Yep.

It's crazy. I don't know what the hell happened. Salty, I know. Go to school the next morning because your parents told you to. Is it gonna be playing this tonight or is it going straight to bed? Oh, as much as he would like to, he's going straight to. Oh. I know. Oh.

My mom made me do that for Halo too. Me. This is peak motherhood right here. This is the first one that I've taken him to. And how do you like it so far? Um, that's not bad. It's a little more awake than I thought I would be. And he's happy.

That's important. Look how happy this kid is, man. If you had a mom like this, call her. Because... Yep. I certainly did. And it was a great fucking time. She's fucking cool.

I mean, I remember the Wrath of the Litch King release. It was me, my mom, and Cody and Jeff, the four of us in the car. And somehow, they hoodwinked me into being the only person that was standing in line and I had to buy everybody's copy and then they got to sit inside the heated car

because it was also super cold. It was like Rath or Cat, I forgot which one it was. And yeah. Awesome is that. Mom's like, yeah, I'll get you the player's guide and the prestige edition of Modern Warfare 2, but you got to go to school tomorrow. Would you take that deal? I make that deal. I don't

blame you. Damn good deal. This is just one of the thousands of You can uncover when combing through midnight release videos on YouTube, most of which posted by channels with like 100 subscribers. Yep, yeah. 14 years ago. Yeah. You know what?

If you ever went to a midnight... You know, we recorded the Wrath of the Litch King or the Catat. We recorded that night. It is somewhere in my videotapes. I don't know where it is, but it is somewhere. It's your duty to share your story in the comments below. Yeah. I want to read them.

may not have any more opportunities to create new stories but we can relive those memories and they'll live on in the comments section in today's society it's easy to get complacent and lazy when every necessity and comfort can be bought ordered and delivered straight to your house doesn't it feel like we have less reasons than ever before to leave the house as if technology has made life so convenient we've started losing some of those wild unpredictable journeys we used to go on And that's kind of boring. But boredom is the last thing you'll be feeling today after watching this video. Because today I have combed through the desert and on Earth, the coolest, the most insane type as fuck footage of midnight releases on this planet.

Why were midnight releases so awesome? And why don't we do them anymore? Today we are huffing nothing. Because you got a bunch of dick boys sitting around trying to scalp everything. they need to have a new policy when things are sold one item per guy they do

it's so fucking annoying the scalpers yes hop into my time machine buckle in with now maybe two yeah all right

maybe two right and let's pick one last ride down memory lane yeah dude this is how you know it was a really long time ago someone dressed up

as a character from a Ubisoft game. Look at that. This must have been a long time ago, guys. Years. Teaser, reveal, hype, anticipation, excitement, energy, and release. This is the formula for video game launches. Oh, video games. And midnight releases were the release of everything we've been feeling,

everything that had built up to that moment. When we walked out of the store with the game in our hands, and a big-ass grin on her face. Yeah. And each midnight release was different. They were all like the climax of a story. Also, quick note, I'm officially launching the Actman subreddit that I created like seven years ago. Oh, oh oh.

Oh. Subreddit. But go join the community there. Feel free to ask me questions, post memes. You can post more or less whatever you want. It's the beginning of the end. Just keep it about gaming and the channel and all of that. So yeah, subreddit down in the description.

Anyways, the reason midnight releases became such a huge deal. Yeah. is obvious. We all shared in that anticipation. We all reveled in the calm before the storm. Going to a midnight release made you feel like you were part of the in-group. An exclusive club of hardcore gamers that wanted to get that next release as soon as possible, faster than anyone else. You'd encounter other hardcore fans along the way. Strangers. I never would. Everybody that I always encountered in the release parties was always so bad at the game. Like they didn't know anything about the game, they were so dumb.

And like, yeah, absolutely. Are we loud? Yeah, I remember thinking like, yeah, these guys are super casuals compared to me. You would share with them what you were most excited to see in this new release. It was a community potluck.

And for better or worse, mostly better. Midnight releases gave gamers a space to be themselves in public. Do you want to know one of the things and like, one of the only places that has even a remnant of this is like local FGCs, like fighting game communities. That's the only place that you can get a vibe that's even

close to this nowadays. But every midnight release was different depending on the store, the game, at like a local level, right? It seemed like every game stop would have free pizza for people, and they could have ordered it from the shittiest pizza. They did not have free pizza at my game stop. Shop in town, but God damn it, you've been waiting for five hours, so that pizza tastes divine. They did not. Midnight releases could be. small local gatherings or massive publicity stunts that take place in Times Square with thousands of people waiting in line. People would fly out to New York just to experience the release of Halo 3.

I'm going straight from here to LaGuardia, flying to Chicago, and going home to play the game. Did you come here just for this event? Yeah, I came here just for this event. You don't have this in Chicago? They do, but it's not this. You come here for the experience. See, the thing is, people don't realize how big it was. like Halo was the game.

Halo was like Fortnite at the time. This is like, you know, my father went to Woodstock. This is our Woodstock of a generation. You know, at some of these events, they'd bring out voice actors for Modern Warfare too. They had the voice actors for soap, price and ghost. And even these guys would be like, this is insane. They'd sign autographs, talk with fans. I've got to say, I'm overwhelmed because I never really realized just how big this would

become. This is back when, like, the people, like, they would just get it. inside the crowd and just hang out with people. And you want to know where that still happens? It still happens at like ExileCon. Like I saw tons of streams and it was just a bunch of people just sitting there like Chris Wilson or like Jonathan walking around and like, hey, hey, it's the guy. So outside of things like Comic Con, there weren't many opportunities to meet these people

whose work you really enjoyed. Why did you have to be here first? I just had to meet David Hader, man. I have so much respect so much respect for the man. Dude, Metal Gear Solid was, like, it's actually crazy how good of a franchise that was. And I'm sad that it's kind of like over.

I wish they could make a new version of it. I think that they can. It just needs to be made by the right studio. Had to get it to meet him. I wanted to autograph and just let him know, like, he's really appreciated him on the game community. There's something so wholesome about it. Because, like, this is also,

so this is a release for, I guess, maybe Metal Gear Solid 4. And like, this was coming off the heels of Metal Gear Solid 3, which was like insanely fucking good. That was the main one that I played. Actually, it was the only one that I played. It's like this. So what are you going to say to him when you get to meet him?

Snake. That's the only thing I can get through my head right now, man. I'm still thinking. Dude, you've had 19 hours. That's what you came up with? Yeah. I was just still unbelievable that I was the first one in line when I got here, man. That's a real Metal Gear Solid fan right now.

man. And to have this joyous moment immortalized on video, dude, it's like this right here, this is the gaming community. This is, this is what it's all about. Is a real gamer? Yeah, apps of fucking lootly. I don't know how. And like, that's why it's like if you go to a local FGC,

I've been to a couple of them, like, actually on accident. It's kind of still like this, but this never needed to change. Everything was just fine. Video. Gotta be a great feeling to be able to relive that. And if you were really lucky, at certain midnight releases, you might catch a glist of the richest man on the planet, selling the first copy of what would become the largest entertainment launch of all time.

You might think you're cool, but you'll never be Bill Gates walking out of Best Buy after selling and signing the first copy of Halo 3 while I, I got five on it blasts in the background. I'll never be that cool. It was just, it was so good, man. It was so good. You'll never be that cool and that's okay. Also, if you look closely, it looks like Bill's sweatshers

has the UNSC logo on it. Like, talk about being a straight fucking gangster. The hype at these events was simply unmatched. And I love how creative these stores could get. For Red Dead Redemption 1, you know, they'd bring out Nerf guns and hope. little shooting tournaments. For the right product, gamers would come out in numbers. And that's so wholesome because this normally secluded somewhat... The last time that we had this, so my friend

Eric and I, there was a release. I'll actually show you. I can get it right now because I know exactly where it is. It's literally just right over here. So we went to the early release of the miniature Super Nintendo because we're both 34 and we grew up playing this console. And I swear to fucking God, it was like seven, seven in the morning, if not six in the morning. And every single guy there was our age and half of them had wives or girlfriends in the car that were like this. It was so fucking funny, man. But yeah, I remember that. That was a few years ago, actually. I feel like I'm trying to think when was that probably two years ago

maybe three years ago something like that it's amazing yeah she's worth it hey hey she was there that's what matters socially awkward group of nerds would be able to connect with people who had similar interests in the real world now let's just say that when a bunch of nerds get together

the results are not always easy to watch no no no this was totally fine everybody was having fun yes it's cringe but everybody was happy nobody nobody was getting made for nobody is worried about getting recorded

and getting put on TikTok everybody was just fully letting their Asperger's run wild and it was beautiful stop me trying us just yeah yep What you're experiencing right now is called secondhand cringe.

If you're wondering what is happening in this clip, this is at the midnight release of Skyrim on 111111. Never forget. And the scene playing out in front of us is a performance of what it's like to fight cliff racers in Morowind. Come on over here. To do this in public, in a game stop, not- Is amazing. Is absolutely... Look at his hat.

Look at... This is what it's all about, man. Yeah, this is what it's all... He's so happy, yeah. The thing is, it's a no-judgment zone. Everybody thought it was funny. And it was fine. Nine years after Moro Win came out.

Yeah. That takes balls. Now, you may wince, you may cringe, but at the end of the day, God damn it, you will respect commitment. They were happy and they were having fun at the end of the day. The bit. I'm a fucking cheeseball. I thrive on the cringe of my skits if you can call them that I think we should take a big fat fucking shit all over there fucking fucking I'm just gonna sit here looking cool

Midnight releases gave gamers an opportunity to feel like they were normal, you know? These were times where we all came together to celebrate this hobby we have so much passion for Whether it was Gears of War Halo call a duty metal gear solid borderlands Assassin's Creed everyone had to do the same thing Wait in line for hours. And when you're bored, you'll find creative ways to pass the time. Tell me about your most epic quest or battle to date. Uh, trading this girl's molten core.

Midnight releases were also great publicity for the companies. Look at all these gamers excited for our product. News media would pick up on a story. It would tap in... Yeah, it was a whole news event, man. It was great. Into that like viral marketing effect. Or even your friends who weren't Halo fans?

would get excited for the game because every one of his friends was excited. People coming together for a video game? Yeah. For a video game? Are you excited? Yeah. I am now. Like I wasn't before but like seeing this. It was always cool when they gave out knick-knacks or merch or free t-shirts. But it wasn't just good for publicity.

It was also an opportunity to put on a show. The first thing I said was when I'm performing there, cool, I didn't ask about how much they pay, how much this. I said, can I get a copy of the game? And it was like, yeah, I was like, all right, cool. For Call of Duty games. That's it. He just wanted the game. It was so good back then, man.

It also kept the retailers open. It did. Well, this is the reason why is that you had to go on there for that kind of stuff. You needed to. Have guys dressed up in military garb. They have fucking Frank Woods watching the door. He's the bouncer. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I want to show you an out-of-context clip of something, okay?

Brace yourself. It's the good days. Yep. Quiz time. What do you think is happening in this video? Is it, A, leaked footage of an active war zone? No, probably airsoft. Police body cam footage taken during a robbery.

C, footage of military conflict in Israel and Palestine. Or D, the midnight release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Yeah. It's fitting that Modern Warfare 2 as one of the most controversial games of the last 20 years Was it? Would have an equally controversial and insane midnight release event? There's no fucking way anybody could get away with putting something like this together and get away with it.

I mean, look at this. They're throwing flashbangs. Listen to all this fake gunfire. They got a fucking Humvee out on the street and the crowds of people are just behind them. There's people lying on the street in front of the game stop pretending to be corpses. Look at this shot. Look at how ominous this looks. Well, it's because people back then, like, nowadays, everything is like, if they redid this nowadays, people would lose their minds because they would turn it into like, oh, this is like police shooting random civilians or

something like that. This was before the era of like total intellectual dishonesty with all things. To securing hostages in a game stop to promote a video game. Now, I was so curious about this, I had to look it up because there's two videos of this event. And I tried my best to figure out if there's more footage, if this was a news story, I couldn't find shit. But what I did find is that for some reason, this video has the GameStop store number and the city it was in. Yeah, it was no big deal. This was posted two days after this video. Yep.

But I was able to find where this exact GameStop was. Man. And I crossed referenced it with the best- Oh God, I swear to God if it's closed And it's replaced by like some fucking bullshit store I'm gonna be so upset The background, ladies and gentlemen, this is where it happened And I just think that's so cool

I want to know the story behind this So people of Wainsville and North Carolina Help me, help me out I can't find shit about this If you were there, if you have footage Reach out to me, post it online, something Now there are aspects of the midnight release That are still alive

for example, going to the Halo World Championship events, has the same vibe. Midnight releases and professional live tournaments are similar to concerts or sporting events and that the most diehard fans are always going to be there. Midnight releases were like football games. You were there to root for your... I mean, everybody there was wearing like the t-shirt of like the game or they were wearing like merch, etc. And it was like, I think that nowadays doing stuff like that is always perceived as like

cringe or negative. But I think it's back then it was not like that at all. It was just seen as awesome. And people loved it. Even represent them. You could scream and shout and act like a crazy person. And you get some pretty cool swag too, like posters, dog tags. Some people would show up and now people get made fun of and they get laughed at called Dick Riders. Yeah. Back then, it was okay to be fun and to just have fun and be happy, and you didn't have to worry about somebody taking it on the internet and, like, making fun of you for it. Cosplay outfits, there'd be tournaments, giveaways, raffles, exclusive merch.

You'd see people with Lancers at Gears of War Midnight releases and Master Chief Cosplayers at Halo ones. And at Midnight releases for Grand Theft Auto games, people would get jumped. What's this? You got fucked up, yo. Yeah? Looks like you belong in Grand Theft Auto. Hey, what the fuck? Each midnight release was like always true to the series.

Yeah. Like in this footage, the midnight launch of the Burning Crusade, where they had a competition for who could recreate the in-game dances the best. Man. You see what I mean though when I say these events allowed us to feel more normal and just be our quirky, nerdy self? I miss that. You know, when we were younger, you couldn't go out to a bar and get wasted. And real high school parties were always at risk of getting the cops' car. and getting you in trouble. Yep. But midnight releases were how gamers partied. Some people would party a little too hard. Like, this guy?

Halo Reach, midnight release, party arrest. Of course. What I love so much about this, is that the video just starts this way. Like, we have no idea why this guy is getting arrested. He deserved it. You can tell. Only imagine what happened prior. But also, imagine.

I can immediately tell. Midnight release for Halo Reach. You always can. That's right. Play Halo Reach that night. Because you got arrested at the midnight release for Halo Reach. I think one of the magic ingredients for a midnight release was the physicality of it. Gamers were mostly an indoors bunch.

You know, we'd socialize on Xbox Live. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. I eat all day. But it was also that feeling of like actually having the game in your hands, right? If you were one of those people who got there first and you walked out with like a legendary or collector's edition, everybody else in line would just be like, damn, fuck, I wish I got that one. That looks cool. And that 15 second walk out.

They were expensive. They're like 100 bucks too. Or as you go past the line and towards your car. That was like a lot of money back then. Especially when we were younger, you know, in school. Like 15 years ago. You got a lot of responsibilities, homework, sports. There weren't many opportunities to stay up all night playing video games.

and most parents wouldn't let you. So it was fucking amazing when you could like break the rules this one time. Or shit, maybe your parents wouldn't let you ever break the rules. So you'd sneak out with your buddies while they slept in. And it was like that youthful desire to rebel that I think so many gamers found appealing. Here we are on our way to pick up Halo 2 at GameStop at South Hill Mall. We have to confess I'm going 30 over the speed limit right now. And there's the social social.

nature of it, right? You'd see your friends at the store, you'd wait in line with them, shoot the shit, then you'd all go home, hop on Xbox Live and keep chatting as you all played the same game. Or you'd go to someone else's house and experience the game together in person. Also, because a lot of us were teenagers at the time, we didn't really have a whole lot of disposable income. So some of us had to make the tough decision to trade in games at GameStop. I traded away my Donkey Kong in order to get Mario Sunshine. I remember this very well. Looking back on it,

I kind of, I should not have done it. Hope I actually have enough money to buy this. And the trade-in value is always fucking garbage. I don't get fuck about this. I don't get a fuck about this. Definitely not. I already have a copy of this. Did he make the right call, trading in these games for Black Ops 1?

That is a tough call. to make but the most powerful of the midnight releases in my opinion was that of a new console generation the halo or uh ps2 yeah it's uh next evolution on PlayStation and they're doing it right from the beginning background compatibility allowing you to play the old games so your PlayStation doesn't die you don't have to buy new game cartridges whether it was the PS2 the Wii the 360 each new console was like unlocking a new Super Sayan version and how that radically changed everything in Drag. Well, the PS2 also was huge for its time. I don't think people respect how big of a deal the PS2 was. I think PS2 especially like it came out in like 99 or 2000. I forgot which one.

It was relevant for like 10 years. It had one of the longest lifespans of all consoles and it was a DVD player. So it was coming out right when DVDs were coming out too. And they did the same thing with the PS3 with Blu-ray. It's massive. It radically changed our lives. I remember my friends waited in line for seven hours to get the Wii on day one. And that's like a core memory of us throwing those fucking controllers, hitting the wall, laughing our asses off.

Man, it was so much fun. Now, before we talk about how midnight releases died, I have one final thing I want to show you guys. It's the very first YouTube video I was. was in the midnight release of Skyrim. Any idea of what type of race are gonna be? Oh fuck, there he is. Oh my god.

Damn. You're making? Dude, I'm gonna have to like see everything. The difference is, we're probably north because I see that's a native. Right, yeah. But everyone's gonna do that, so I'm probably gonna choose something else. Maybe a lizard and Argoni. Who knows?

Now my brother is obviously a lot more aloof, might have been high. might have been high at the time. I don't know. He's so excited. Yeah, who knows? A little camera shy. Yeah. And I honestly can't believe I found this because I remember being interviewed, but man, what a trip down memory lane. Skyrim came out on Veterans Day and then you had Saturday and Sunday. So it was perfect. That is literally the most perfect release date ever. On Monday, everybody was talking about Skyrim. So I just wanted to share that bit of Actman lore. I That's crazy. Funny.

I call my brother the new YouTube star. A little profit. Everybody wanted to make YouTube videos and stuff like that back in the day. It was such a big deal. Because that was whenever YouTube first started, like, getting popular. And, like, they introduced their partner program, and people are making money with YouTube. And so that was the first time on the Internet that it really became, like, known that it's like, yeah, this idiot can just sit in his room. make videos and if people watch them, he gets money.

Crazy paradigm shift there. But with how much hype and money and attention and publicity midnight release is generated, one has to wonder, why did they die? The reason for the death of the midnight release is complicated. It's a combination of cultural, technical, and practical reasons. The rise of digital downloads and online storefronts like Steam, BattleNet, Microsoft Store, PSN, Switch online.

Made it easier to just buy games from the comfort of your own home. I remember, I think it was like, yeah, it was like Missa Pandaria or Cataclysm, where like all of us went to the midnight release and our friend Austin Digital downloaded. And we were like, bro, like, yeah, I guess that makes sense. But like, we were all at the game stop and you weren't at the game stop. Like, what the fuck, man? Yeah, it was weird. And to be fair, that was the last digital, like what's really weird about that is that was the last midnight release that I went to too.

Physical sales of video games has been steadily declining over the years while digital sales have been steadily rising. It's the same reason they stop printing and putting manuals in games because it's convenient. It's cheaper and it's easier. But also, who wants to wait outside in the pouring rain or snow anymore? If you don't have to, why would you? GameStop and other retail stores are losing money. Like with Blockbuster, the convenience of staying home and paying for something is alluring to most people. Of course.

And because there's less physical copies being sold, these stores aren't making as much money, so they're less likely to want to have staff ready for a big midnight release. This makes hosting a midnight. There's also another big one where they make a lot of money. Because, like, you know, for example, whenever my mom and I went in and we bought Burning Crusade, like they make money on every sale of a video game that they make. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be able to exist. But I also bought a T-shirt there.

So it's like this is a huge opportunity for them to make tons of money. Release impractical. The other thing is timing. I remember going to the midnight release of the Master Chief Collection, except it wasn't a midnight release. They started selling a game at 9 p.m. And I was honestly disappointed that there wasn't a line. Isn't that weird?

Then I got home and played Master's. Chief Collection and the disappointment continued for a few years. Many publishers have decided to release games at the same time, as in they might come out on midnight if you're on the East Coast, but it'll be 9 p.m. over here on the West Coast. This is probably overall better for business. It is better and it's a smarter way of doing it, but there's always something that's left behind. I think that's kind of how it happened.

It's sad, but it's reasonable but sad. Like I said, it means we don't get to experience the game at midnight at all. Then there's also the prevalence of pre-order bonuses and early access special editions. Those muddy the waters even further because it's like, so when exactly is the midnight release? Well, that depends on how much money you spend. It's tidy shitty, right? Yeah. More money, me now?

And all they did was just come up with an earlier release date. And it's just more exclusive and more expensive. The prevalence of online communities is also another reason midnight releases have fallen out of favor. It's a little sad to say, but I hang out with people and friends on Discord more than I do in person. So we're less likely to get together as a group to go out for a midnight release. I'm also a content creator. I think it's also people get older, right? And so, like, a lot of guys that are like our age, like, maybe more people have, like, a family or they have a job now.

So they don't have the same amount of time that they used to. order to go in and, uh, you know, do this stuff. Like, you know, they've got to take their kid to work in the morning. So like, they can't stay up past like 1130. And, uh, that's just how it is. And I think also the younger generations, they aren't really that, that value isn't, there's no nostalgia value to them. It's just seen as a disadvantage. It's like, oh, damn, okay, well, now this is annoying that I have to go up there. Why would I want to do that if I could just get it at home? And so like the amount of people that like really would be the target audience for this stuff like gets a lot smaller. I know, big shocker.

So if I really want to play a game the moment it comes out, I'm kind of incentivized to stream it. This also means part of my audience will want to watch me and therefore they won't be going to a midnight release with their friends. Multiply this concept by like a million different content creators. And it just means most people are staying inside to play a new game or they're staying in. to watch their favorite streamer play it. There was a very critical moment when I started to realize the gaming industry was changing, and that was the midnight release for Halo 5 Guardians. You see, my brother in one-

Jesus, Halo 5? Of his best friends, Matt. People still played it? How routine of going to the midnight release for each Halo game, starting with reach. But my brother had to work, so I went with Matt. We got to the game stop. They were selling it at 9 p.m. not a massive line. We buy it, go home, and I have to tell him that Halo 5 doesn't have split screen co-op,

and he doesn't believe me until... He shouldn't believe you. True. We boot up the game and he can't find the option for split screen. You wanna play? Go home. Too bad! I don't have an ex-get out of my house.

And for me, that was the day that the midnight release started to die. It was when it started to feel like the game industry. could make more money off of me if we didn't go to a midnight release. And finally, the lasting impact of COVID-19 is still lingering. We had a full year of adjusting to this new lifestyle indoors, and it's changed our behavior in more ways than I think we're all willing to admit. A lot of businesses died during COVID, but the ones that thrived during COVID were all digital,

except toilet paper. I wish I had bought some toilet paper stock before COVID. Anyways, COVID-19, more or less, was the final nail in the coffin for midnight. Releases. COVID also killed E3. COVID killed 24-hour Walmarts. It killed 24-hour Taco Cabana. It killed midnight releases.

It killed a lot of things. There are still some friends. People, yeah, true. And you can get the same feeling by going to a convention. But I don't think we'll ever see anything like this ever again. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt. any midnight release will ever have this type of hype. And there ain't no fucking way in hell anybody is ever going to allow this to happen again.

I think the death of the midnight release is just one of the many ways in the last few years that we've lost touch with one another. As a community of big ass nerds, united by our shared passion for gaming. It's just one big social gathering, uniting people all over the world for, you know, love of games and gears of war. The gaming industry is the biggest entertainment industry. in the world, bigger than the music industry, bigger than the film industry. And it's...

Now it's bigger than both of them put together, by the way. Gaming's only been growing. It's growing massively. Launches like this at midnight, with over 20,000 stores open worldwide that really solidify that fact. The midnight release is more than just a relic of the past. It was a way to connect with people and interact with others who maybe felt ostracized or weird from regular society. It was an opportunity to go out, be yourself,

and not feel shame or embarrass. for being a fucking nerd. Yet to meet people, you would have never met otherwise, and we'll sadly never meet again. Our nostalgia for these moments will never die. They can never be taken away. And through these old videos on YouTube, in the comments section on this one, we can still relive those memories, even if they aren't our own. The thing is, I don't know if midnight launches could ever come back. At least not the way they used to be.

And while that might seem sad, doesn't that make our memories even more valuable? that week. I think it's sad. It is. It's like it's a, you know, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened a moment. Yeah, sure. I think that's fair. But I do certainly wish that there were a lot more people who were involved with this stuff. I do. Like it does feel like it's the end of an era in that way. But I feel like now that COVID is like pretty much completely over. I mean, let's be real. It's been over for probably a couple of years now. You're going to see more in-game And like, Jesus. More in real life gatherings.

And for games and stuff like that. And you're going to see a lot more of it. Can't recreate them? It's sad to think about the death of the midnight release. Because they do make money with events like this too. Until the next pandemic. Yeah. You just had to be there.

You just had to be there. Look at the right here. Look at how big here we are. That's the size of it. The switch to way six hours away right now this is like the best game stop ever why don't we do this more often? I don't know bro they need to release more games what are you looking forward into the game killing just like walking around and viewing everything I don't know dragons are kind of cool I guess dragons let me see that it's beautiful what people will do for a little entertainment system

yeah for the PlayStation 2. The best entertainment system to hit the world. It's going to be great. I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days. Before you've actually left them. I feel like I did. I did.

That's why I recorded everything. I knew that things were so good then. I'm like, bro, we can never forget this shit. Yeah, that's why I recorded. all my stuff. Back when I was a kid. Someone should write a song about that. And how does it feel?

One way. Relief. Oh, it feels amazing. This is my first launch, and I'm glad it was for Gives of War III. It's been amazing night. Like, I won't forget this night. It's been amazing. I haven't waited long enough.

10 and a half hour shift to work. Six hour wait for the game. It's a good day. No one else can say they have the first one. It's the greatest feeling in the world. See the surprise face. See the little kid face. Oh my God, Dad.

Now you go inside a game stop, and it's just full of Funko pops and T-shirts. And they have like four video games, and you open up the jewel case of the game, and it's just a link to a website. What's played for? All night, all night, all week, maybe, all week. You don't have to work tomorrow? Work. There's no such thing as work with Wow. That's right. That's fucking right. I wish it was a way to know you're in the good old days

Yeah Before you've actually left them It was a good time man Yeah It was so fucking good So thank you all for watching Hope you enjoyed the video Leave a like if you did

And subscribe to the act man For more awesome content Yeah Big thanks to War Thunder for sponsoring this video Don't forget to click that link in the description sign up and download the game today And claim that massive bonus pack That's available for new and returning players

And don't forget that War Thunder is available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. All right, everyone, that's all I got for today. This is The Act Man, signing out. Peace. There it is. Holy shit. This makes me depressed.

I don't think that you should be depressed about it at all. It's sad for sure, but I think that what's going to happen is that in 15 years, there's going to be a new crop of guys that are our age now that have the same nostalgia for the Travis Scott. fortnight concert or something like that and they're going to remember back oh this is the these were

the days and i think that's really what the difference is going to be every every generation is going to have this kind of stuff going on and i wouldn't really say that it's a bad thing at all i think this is actually really cool and uh that's oh man that's cringe yeah but like i bet people would look at what we're doing is cringe too. That's what my point is, is that cringe is a matter of perspective. More than anything else, it is simply a matter of perspective. And so, yeah, I think overall, this kind of content was so good. These events were amazing. I went to a lot of them. And yeah, I don't know, 80s and early 2000s were more about socializing than staring at cell phones. Yeah, if there was an event now, you'd have like five like IRL streamers there. Everybody,

would have their phone out, they'd be looking at their phone. It's definitely a very different culture than it was back then. It really was, which I find to be sad. We've certainly lost a lot because of that.