Microsoft announced that more than 20,000 midnight launch celebrations will take place worldwide next week, to celebrate the official launch of Gears of War 3 for Xbox 360. The main launch event will take place at the Best Buy Theater in New York’s Times Square and will feature a performance by VMA Best New Artist Nominee, Big Sean.

In the U.S., launch celebrations will kick off in New York City at a marquee event at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square, to be broadcast live during a special episode of GameTrailers TV featuring special guest Aisha Tyler, and airing from 11:30 p.m. – 12:01 a.m. local U.S. time on Spike TV. Attendees will be among the first to play the game before it hits retail shelves at midnight, compete in tournaments for exclusive prizes, meet the game’s developers, and see an exclusive concert in the Best Buy Theater featuring VMA Best New Artist nominee, Big Sean. Fans in the New York area will also be able to participate in a scavenger hunt to secure VIP access to the event and win coveted “Gears of War 3” swag, including Limited and Epic editions, and more.

The result of a sweepstakes contest launched at San Diego Comic-Con in July, one lucky fan will have a chance to meet American Chopper designer Paul Jr. at the New York City launch event and need to make extra room in his or her garage to accommodate a custom Gears of War 3 chopper built by Paul’s team. The two-part series on the making of the Gears of War 3 chopper that debuted at Comic-Con premieres tonight, Monday, Sept. 12 on Discovery, and concludes with the final episode on Monday, Sept. 19.

More than 20,000 retail locations around the world, including 13 Microsoft Stores in the US, will mark the launch of Gears of War 3 with midnight launch events in cities around the globe.

Finally, Microsoft is partnering with the US Air Force for “Gears of War 3 Golden Wings Week.” Play any match on Xbox LIVE from Sept. 20-26 to unlock the Golden Lancer and Golden Hammerburst multiplayer weapon skins. In addition, gamers can discover Epic Games' gameplay secrets in brand-new installments of the “Insider Moves” video series, and challenge them on Xbox LIVE in a series of Game with Developer events.

Developed exclusively for Xbox 360, Gears of War 3 launches worldwide on Sept. 20, 2011 (Japan on Sept. 22), and is available for preorder in three editions – Standard ($59.99 USD), Limited ($79.99) and Epic ($149.99). For additional details on the game, check out gearsofwar.xbox.com .