Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been leaked 1 week before the official release. Read on to discover how the game was leaked, how the fans are responding, and info on Nintendo's history of leaks and hacks.
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Leaked On Discord
Streamed Being Played Using Emulator
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will release on May 12, 2023, but that hasn't stopped leakers from getting out game spoilers early.
According to the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, one or more individuals were able to obtain a physical game and posted a 15-second video clip of it online.
Subsequently, someone on Discord claimed to have dumped
the XCI (a file format used by Nintendo Switch game cartridges) from the physical game cartridge and was streaming the game on Discord. Up to 1000 people watched the stream until it eventually crashed.
The leak showed that the game could be played via emulation or on custom firmware (CFW) Nintendo Switch consoles. However, Nintendo has yet to comment on the leak as they may be trying to catch the perpetrators at the moment.
Tears of the Kingdom Being Illegally Shared on Pirate Websites
Some fans are resorting to illegal ways to play the leaked copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, despite the dangers of downloading malware. According to reports, pirate websites have offered game downloads, causing fans to compete for a free copy.
However, several Reddit users have claimed that when they attempted to download what they believed to be a copy of the game, they were trolled or even infected with malware. Some gamers are still adamant about getting the game despite the dangers, even if doing so may jeopardize the safety of their devices.
Nintendo's History Of Leaks And Hackers
Kingdom Hearts 3, Breath of the Wild, and Gary Bowser
Nintendo has experienced leaks before to a game's official release previously. Kingdom Hearts 3 was leaked before its official release in 2018, and Breath of the Wild for the Wii U was leaked before its launch in 2017. Early this year, the Tears of the Kingdom Artbook was also leaked in Reddit.
One person of note in the video game hacking and piracy scene is Gary Bowser, who was a part of Team Xecuter. This team developed and sold devices that allowed people to play pirated games on Nintendo Switch consoles. Nintendo has taken legal action against Bowser and other team members for their activities.
