It is looking like UK retail chain HMV is going to be the official partner of Sony for the upcoming launch of the PlayStation 3, currently slated for March 23. While neither HMV or Sony have said anything official a source has indicated this will be the case with a midnight launch event being held at the HMV on Oxford Street.

Tim Ellis, the boss of HMV Games, does say "We are currently discussing a range of possible options. I can't say right now whether this will include an official launch event, as such, but it's certainly the case that more and more publishers and games companies are approaching HMV following the success of a number of major launches over the last few years."

HMV has been the partner for several game launches including the PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii and the latest expansion pack for World Of Warcraft.