Nintendo is working to take down images of its new unannounced Switch game after the internet — as expected — leaked it online.
Earlier this month, Nintendo asked those who successfully signed up for its then mysterious Switch Online Playtest not to reveal what it is once it went live. Documentation included a request “that you do not discuss or disclose content from either the Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program test software or website with others.”
At the time, the internet collectively scoffed at that request. And now, it’s all out in the wild. Today, October 21, ahead of the playtest going live on October 23, some users were able to download the playtest, which weighs in at 2.2GB. Images of this website and its details are now spreading across social media, Discords, and subreddits.
The leak appears to have been kickstarted by X/Twitter user @Ethan_ThisGuy, who posted images of the playtest website along with the post: “hope Nintendo doesn’t kill me for this.”
hope nintendo doesn’t kill me for this pic.twitter.com/dgVHQFCaXX
— Ethan :3 (@Ethan_ThisGuy) October 21, 2024
Spoilers for Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program test follow:
Those images, which X/Twitter has now pulled offline “in response to a report from the copyright holder” (a clear sign of their legitimacy), reveals a social MMO hybrid experience some are already comparing to the Miiverse, Nintendo’s discontinued social network for 3DS and Wii U.
The idea, according to leaked images of the Nintendo website, is to work with other players to develop a massive planet via farmed resources and building on your own plot of land. Players use Beacons that emit a healing light that “purifies and develops the land.” The idea is to place multiple Beacons until your planetary block is fully developed.
The player’s Beacon sounds like a protected space in which only they can move, lift, or edit items. Outside their Beacon is considered a public space anyone can work in.
There’s a ‘Dev Core’ that acts as a player hub. Here you level up your character, obtain items, and talk to other players. Players earn points for developing the land and socializing with others.
There’s a definite user-generated content (UGC) aspect to this new game, and you’ll be able to share what you make with others. This is very Nintendo: it says to create UGC players must pass a test in-game to show they understand “the importance of respectful communication.” Only then will players obtain a UGC License and be able to create UGC. There is, as you’d expect, a player report feature, which I imagine will come in handy for tackling all those… certain things players will inevitably build.
And finally, as Nintendo had signaled, it recommends playing this new game in TV setup with a wired connection, given it’s a server-based experience.
That’s all we have for now. It’s odd that Nintendo would insist on such secrecy around what sounds like a relatively straightforward Switch online MMO (we still don’t know the name of the thing), but hopefully we’ll know more when it actually goes live later this week and, well, the whole thing inevitably leaks.
This is a Switch experience for now, but the big question is whether it will also be available on the upcoming Switch 2, which Nintendo has yet to formally announce.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.