After the start of a “secret” playtest for an unnamedNintendo Switchgame on October 23, players have already begun to leak actual gameplay, despite significant effort on Nintendo’s part to keep the game’s contents as private as possible. Limited-availability signups for the playtest, which were made available to Nintendo Switch Online members, began on October 10, including stipulations from Nintendo that successful applicants keep details of the playtest private. Predictably, however, these stipulations failed to keep things under wraps even before the start of the playtest, as details were leaked as soon as they became available.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for an upcoming Nintendo Switch game]
As of the official start of the playtest,images and footage of the game have been leaked online, some of which can be seen in thisthread on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours. While many attempts to leak the game have so far been met with takedowns from Nintendo, there are still plenty of leaks that have remained viewable, showing exactly what can be done in the unnamed Switch game. Currently, leaks have portrayed the game as an MMO-like experience focused on building structures in a shared world, drawing comparisons to games likeMinecraft.
One Streamer Gets Full DMCA Strike, Their Entire Channel Is Now Gone
Nintendo Is Quickly Taking Down Leaks Of The Ongoing Switch Playtest
However, while some leakers have managed to evade Nintendo takedowns so far, others haven’t been so lucky. In a similar fashion topre-download leaks of the game,Nintendo has been quick to strike players likebrettwilson Twitch, who later confirmed onRedditthat their channel was “dead” after a DMCA strike. Other streams on prominent platforms like Twitch and YouTube have shut down at similar speed, although images and even some short videos have remained up in other places.
The Nintendo Switch Online Leaks Hint At An MMO-style Title
The Unnamed Switch Playtest Game Has Drawn Comparisons To Minecraft
The leaks of the game, as reported byIGN,point to an MMO experience centered on using blocks to build on a planet that’s shared with other players, with the added ability to swing from these structures with an attachable, grapple hook-like rope. While the game appears to be unfinished, leaving players with little else to do except build higher and higher structures, there is at least some form of progression, as an in-game shop provides tools to assist with building.
Three Major Nintendo Switch Titles Are Free To Play This Week For Nintendo Switch Online Users
Three Nintendo Switch titles are free to play for a limited time, but those interested in testing the waters will need a Nintendo Switch Online sub.
While the leaked playtest gameplay is interesting in its own right, it’s not entirely clear exactly what the purpose of the test is at this point. The most straightforward answer is that the playtest is an early version of an upcoming Switch game, potentially for theSwitch 2, but other guesses include the possibility that Nintendo is testing new online infrastructure, either for MMO-like games or an overhauled online system. Whatever the case, Nintendo is going to have an uphill battle trying to keep leaks off the Internet before theNintendo Switchplaytest ends on November 5.
