An Edinburgh shopping centre has apologised after a security mix-up left dozens of gamers locked out of a launch.
Keen fans of the Final Fantasy games queued outside Waverley Market in the city centre on Wednesday night, eagerly anticipating the midnight release of the latest edition. They had all signed up to be part of the select few who could enter the store after hours to pick up the new game.
However, they say their night of fantasy quickly became a nightmare when a drunken wanderer began to attack a homeless man who had set up for the evening up against the mall.
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Stunned members of the crowd said the alleged assailant then turned to the queue and threatened them if they called the police.
The scared onlookers quickly attempted to seek refuge in the GAME store they were set to collect their new purchase, but helpless staff said they were unable to let the gamers in as Waverley Market’s security had not shown up.
It has since been confirmed to Edinburgh Live that there was a scheduling mix-up between security staff and the shopping centre, with no presence available to safeguard the endangered customers.
The crowd was eventually told by GAME staff they would not be able to attend the event due to this lack of security, with Waverley Market branding the incident as “regretful”.
One of the petrified people in the queue was Emma, 26, who said her mental health has taken a serious blow because of the ordeal. She told Edinburgh Live: “It was absolutely horrific, that’s the only word I have to describe it.
“I was absolutely buzzing about the event. I’ve been having a rough time of it over the last year with my mental health, so it was something to look forward to. I got there about 10 just to be there nice and early.
“There was this wee homeless guy sleeping, not bothering anyone. This other guy, who was really drunk, came up and they seemed to be talking about an incident that happened earlier in the day.
“When I say it went from 0-60, it just kicked off. The drunk guy was dragging the homeless man all over the place, kicking him."
Emma claims that people in the queue then contacted staff within GAME to ask them to get assistance, with concern growing further when they were informed there was no security in attendance.
She said: “One of the guys in the queue must have been a friend or relative of somebody who worked in game, because he was texting them asking them to get to security. They came out to say security weren’t answering their calls and they couldn’t find them anywhere.
“Eventually the manager came out and said he feared security had left and unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to attend the event as they couldn’t let us in the front door.
“I couldn’t sleep that night, every wee noise set me off. Usually, one anxiety tablet is enough but I just couldn’t settle at all. It’s no fault of GAME, they were let down, but it was a terrible experience.”
Emma was just one of an estimated 40 gamers who were caught up in the worrying incident, with others describing the chaos.
Kyle Davidson said: "The security didn't show up which frustrated us and the staff in GAME. Yet, Waverley Market’s own social media even had the date right so unsure how security got it wrong.
"On top of that we had a rowdy individual berating, threatening and attacking a homeless person sleeping at the door. He pulled and threw his wheelchair at the gentlemen. He threatened a few of us queuing as well, one was in a wheelchair herself having waited there for several hours.
Waverley Market bosses have since apologised for the situation, saying they have taken measures to prevent similar instances in the future.
Jacquelyn Stewart, Centre Manager at Waverley Market said: “The Final Fantasy midnight launch at GAME could not go ahead as there was no security available on the night due to a scheduling mistake and Waverley Market was closed.
“We are regretful about the incident that took place outside Waverley Market on Waverley Bridge, and we sincerely apologise to the customers involved. We have taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again, however it is now a police matter and as such we cannot comment further."
Police Scotland confirmed have that they have received a report of an alleged assault outside Waverley Markets on Wednesday 21 June.
A spokeswoman said: “We received a report of an assault taking place at Waverly Bridge, around 11.30pm on Wednesday, 21 June, 2023.
“There were no reports of any injuries and no complaints were made. There is no further police involvement.”
