This was due to a complete lack of forethought on Activision’s part when they announced that the first 500 people to the booth would receive a copy of the Prestige Edition of Call of Duty: Ghosts. This edition included a Steelbook collector’s copy, a paracord bracelet, the Season Pass, the dynamic map “Free Fall” and other digital content, as well as a 1080p HD Tactics camera which is water and shock resistant and retails for about $200.
There were no other rules to the “contest,” it was simply a “first come, first serve” basis.
Suffice to say, the booth drew a bit of a crowd.
A reporter from Italy’s Ill Messaggero newspaper was in line to try his hand at getting one of the Prestige Edition copies and says that initially the situation seemed manageable but as the crowds grew, hundreds of people started going crazy, rushing the booth. Caught in the crowd, they were kicked, shoved, and slapped, as the crushing mass of frenzied gamers threatened to break their equipment in the process.
Some of the damage can be seen here (not a great deal of it):
While the reporters wisely thought it best to escape the madness with their lives (and equipment intact), others pressed on - one girl faked an illness. The ruse was discovered right away of course and she was escorted away from the mess, but it led to a loud outcry from the woman about losing her spot in line.
As you might expect, all of this culminated in a great deal of damage done to the booth itself which needed to be shut down.
Not exactly one of Activision’s brightest ideas now, was it?
