It would probably be a great disservice to Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- if I didn’t describe it as one of the most anticipated fighters in recent memory. As a continuation of Arc System Works’ beloved franchise, Xrd is the first all-new installment fans have seen since Guilty Gear XX originally launched in 2002 (though there have been quite a few updates, spin-offs, and even a non-fighter in Guilty Gear 2: Overture since then), and the arcade-exclusive launch earlier this year only served to intensify the excitement.

With this kind of status in the fighting game community, many opted to purchase the game as an import (or even with foreign PlayStation Network accounts) in order to take advantage of the 12-day headstart Japan had for the console release. While they’ve been playing it for a few days now–and even uncovering some hidden goodies on the disc–North American fans can actually grab a copy today thanks to GameStop.

Yesterday, GameStop employee Aaron Muhlmeyer (who has previously conducted a few interviews for us) mentioned that his store had received a message from corporate stating that the street date for the title had been lifted. After hearing of this, we attempted to follow up on this news with the company themselves, but to no avail. Muhlmeyer went on to say that his particular store would be receiving copies the next afternoon, and a location in my area confirmed their own shipment was also planned for the same time when reached for details.

Without much else to go on, I decided to simply wait until today, walk into GameStop, and see what happened…

…and that’s pretty much how it went down. Before calling and confirming that, yes, they had copies and, yes, I would be able to purchase one, I drove over, bought my game, and am currently enjoying its metal riffs emanating from my television as I write this.

In his messages, Muhlmeyer stated that the memo that was sent to his store went company-wide, which means every store in the country should (in theory) have copies of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- in stock and ready to sell. Because GameStop has failed to get back to us, we can’t outright confirm this is the case, but definitely give your local store a ring and see what’s up.

It should also be noted that my location only received one copy of the PlayStation 3 version, so supplies are probably limited if you didn’t pre-order. And, of course, if you are looking to grab a limited edition, you’ll have to wait until December 23 due to recent delays.