Gamers queue to meet creators
(UKPA) – 2 hours ago
Thousands of gamers queued for hours in the cold - many in fancy dress - to meet the creators of Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy XIII.
HMV said 2,000 fans flocked to its Oxford Street store in London for the launch of the latest instalment in the long-running franchise, which has sold more than 92 million copies worldwide.
DJ and presenter Alex Zane hosted the event but most fans were there to meet Yoshinori Kitase, the game’s producer, and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo, who had flown in from Japan.
First in the sprawling queue were Peter Allen, 24, and Becky Drury, 22, both from Crewe, Cheshire, who pitched a tent outside the shop to ensure their spot.
Mr Allen, dressed as one of the game’s characters, explaining why he had gone to the effort, said: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the producer of the game, and it’s a game we all love and we wanted to come down and show our respect. We’ve been outside for 17 hours now.”
Miss Drury, also in costume, added: “At five o’clock we went and got a hot chocolate from McDonalds. It’s been cold, we’ve had blankets and jackets but it was better when other people started turning up in costume.
“We’ve had our own little community. People walking past have been taking photos of us, so they’ve been getting into the spirit as well.”
The first 50 gamers who arrived in costume bagged free CDs of the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack - which includes Leona Lewis’s song My Hands from her second album Echo.
The latest Final Fantasy game is available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. In the first 24 hours after its Japanese launch, Final Fantasy XIII clocked up more than a million sales.
