What are your launch day rituals?

By the time you read this, the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion should have been live for those who pre-ordered for several hours. Presuming everything went as planned, you can be sure that when the game became available, I was sound asleep — despite all my anticipation yesterday.

I still remember my very first software launch, a midnight release for Windows 95. I wasn’t there to buy, mind you; I was an employee at Software Etc. (known among modern folks as GameStop) and over the course of two hours we sold eight copies of the operating system and one copy of Microsoft Bob — nowhere near what was needed to justify having the store open. Since then I’ve had several opportunities to stand in line — or since the advent of the digital delivery gaming world, sit at my computer — waiting for a new release. But these days unless that scheduled release time is between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. I’m likely not going to be awake for it.

That’s okay, though, because it gives me a chance to avoid most login queues and any technical issues/delays and inevitably needing a nap to finish the day. If a game does release during a time when I’m awake and not otherwise occupied I’ll be waiting impatiently at my desk, but I no longer stock food and drinks nearby to keep me going longer. I’ll still put a good amount of time into the game this weekend, but the old days of standing in line for hours followed by skipping sleep or social interaction to play are long gone.

What about you — are you still willing to camp out in line or set your alarm for the middle of the night to play something new? If not, do you still set aside time and snacks in prep for launch day? Or are you like me and a new game or expansion just slides into your normal game time windows? Let us know in the comments below!