Earlier this month, Namco announced that Ridge Racer Unbounded would be delayed from March 6 until "later in 2012" to add more features. The final release date was to be given "shortly."

It's something of a surprise, then, that people are already finding the game in stores. NeoGAF users are reporting that they've found copies on store shelves. Even more surprising, it's available right now on GameStop.com. But ... only on Xbox 360. The PS3 version still appears as a pre-order, with a release date of yesterday.

We're checking with Namco now to figure out what the official release date is supposed to be. But while you wait to find that out, you're welcome to buy the game.

Update: A Namco representative told Joystiq that the official release date was yesterday, March 27.