• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 24, 2011

With the Aug. 30 release of Madden NFL 12 just days away, GameStop says it is sponsoring midnight kickoff promotions at more than 2,100 stores.

Events are scheduled to begin as early as 10 p.m. on Sunday, and the Grapevine, Texas-based retailer is inviting fans to wear team colors and come to stores to play pre-game warm-up challenges that include first-to-play Madden NFL 12 kiosks, ultimate fan contests, and in-store tournaments.

To encourage people to pre-order, it says it will offer a bonus gift of the 2011 All-Star teams from the NFC and AFC. And gamers who participate in the chain's rewards programs will also get a Madden Ultimate Team Aaron Rodgers card, which captures his MVP performance from Super Bowl XLV.

Other promotional events linked to the launch include the Madden NFL 12 Pigskin Pro-Am on Aug. 28, scheduled to air on NBC. Papa John's is also running a tie-in, offering $5 off the game for online purchases. And it says those ordering pizza online between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on August 30 are to be automatically entered for a chance to win 60 of the games, with a winner named every 12 minutes.

GameStop also says it will partner with Virgin Gaming for a "Battle of the Gridiron" tournament, starting Sept. 11 and running through Oct. 16, with $100,000 in cash and prizes.