Early copies of MW2 break street date

Copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have begun turning up on consumer's doormats, with both LoveFilm and The Hut sending the game out early.

In mainland Europe High Street retailers have begun selling copies of the game in-store, with one consumer showing GamesIndustry.biz copies of the PC version of the game and a receipt as proof of purchase.

The Hut, which also dispatches games for LoveFilm, admitted the blunder in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, stating: "We are dedicated to getting products to customers on release. We use Royal Mail as our preferred courier and were advised to dispatch on Thursday for delivery on Tuesday due to the impending strike action. This was called off on Thursday evening and we have contacted Royal Mail to hold the product until Tuesday."

Images of the game along with covering notes from retailers have begun surfacing on the internet, as users post pictures and gain the kudos of playing the game early.

Activision's title isn't officially due until Tuesday 10th November, with retailers opening at midnight to begin selling the game. In the UK, an official launch will take place at HMV in London, with rival retailers GAME and Gamestation also opening the majority of their outlets for eager consumers.

HMV said earlier this week that it would not be sending out early copies of the game, and today GAME told Eurogamer.net that it would honour the street date.