Video game violence hit a little too close to home last weekend, as armed robbers in Maryland held up a video game store and ran off with 100 unreleased copies of the combat-themed Call of Duty: Black Ops video game.
According to a statement from the Harford Sheriff's Office, at least two men wielding semi-automatic handguns burst into a GameStop store in the Festival at Bel Air shopping mall, as it was closing on Saturday night. While robbing the store, two customers walked in and were forced into a backroom at gunpoint.
The robbers ran off with four crates of 'Black Ops,' cash from the register and several gaming systems. No one was hurt.
The suspects are still at large and a sheriff spokeswoman told the Baltimore Sun that anyone who has the game should report it to the Harford police immediately.
Developed by Treyarch and published by ActiVision, Black Ops is the latest installment of the popular Call of Duty series. At least a few analysts expect it to be one of the best-selling video games of all time. Pre-sales have already overtaken Activision's Modern Warefare 2, which debuted this time last year and grossed $1 billion by January.
Black Ops puts players in the middle of the wilderness for first-person guerilla warfare, and includes Treyarch's trademark Nazi zombies. It has been rated "mature" for intense violence, strong language, and blood and gore.
The 3D-ready game will be released for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PCs. It will also be available on the Nintendo Wii in the non-3D version.
The game debuts in London in a few hours and tomorrow in the U.S.