It seems like French criminals have been playing a few too many video games if a recent robbery of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is any indication. At least they learned their lessons well.

The French bandits made off with more than $1 million worth of copies of the game, according to French journal Le Parisien. The robbers struck two shipments of the game, making off with almost 10,000 copies of the latest Call of Duty.

The first robbery took place about 8 a.m. on Nov. 6 in South Paris. The assailants hit a delivery van with a car and when the drivers exited the van to sort out the confusion, they were tear-gassed by two individuals wearing masks and armed with knives. One of the criminals then got into the van and drove off with his partner in tow in the car. They got away with around 6,000 copies of the game.

The second heist took place later that night in a western suburb of Paris. A triad of hooded bandits created a road block and then used handguns to force the delivery driver out of his vehicle. That van contained about 4,000 copies of the game. Both vans were destined for French video game retailer, Micromania. The assailants remain at large.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year and is expected to sell 18-19 million copies before the end of the year, according to Gamasutra. Apparently, the robbers couldn't wait to get their hands on the game, since Modern Warfare 3 launches Nov. 8.

Call of Duty