Large Crowd Gathers at GameStop in Menifee for Release of Call of Duty: MW3

People began setting up chairs outside GameStop at Countryside Marketplace around 3:00pm this afternoon, awaiting the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

The game officially goes on sale at midnight, November 8, 2011.

By 9:00pm, three hours before the sale opened up, about 200 people had congregated. GameStop had set up demonstration booths and a Game Truck where people could play games.

Verizon Wireless, which operates a store next door, had coordinated an event with GameStop, setting up tents demonstrating their latest phones, and giving away iPads.

Officer Beard, with the Menifee Police Department, was one of three officers on patrol, keeping an eye on things. "So far, we've received no calls" said Beard. "We attribute that mostly to the cold weather keeping everyone calm."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, is arguably the most successful video game ever. The eighth game in the Call of Duty series, it's predecessor, Black Ops, reached $1 billion in sales in just two months.

GameStop in Menifee is just one of thousands of stores across the world setting up a release event. Wal-Mart is said to be running release tournaments at several of its stores across the country.