Leaked copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are now in the wild, and fans are preparing for chaos as spoilers start to hit the internet.
Late last week, social media started to buzz with reports that some players had managed to get their hands on copies of the Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition ahead of launch. At the time, it was impossible to tell if these reports were legit or an elaborate troll, but now we're starting to see new in-game footage and screenshots hitting the internet.
I won't link to or discuss the leaks in detail here, but most of what's out there right now shows the beginning of the game, including at least one nice surprise that would've been pleasant to discover on launch day rather than in a grainy video.
Perhaps the most notable detail is that the footage wasn't being captured from a Switch console, but rather an emulator. That means that the game has already been dumped into a digital form, and if the player who's done this chooses to make the file available online you can bet that pirates will soon have the internet absolutely flooded with massive spoilers for the new game. It seems that Nintendo has already begun playing whack-a-mole with various Discords and Twitch streams showcasing the leaks.
With leaks already out there a week-and-a-half ahead of launch, fans are preparing themselves for what one user describes as "total leak chaos." Some players are preparing to swear off social media in an effort to go into the launch blind, while others are gobbling up every spoiler-y morsel they can find. Mostly, everyone's just preparing for the impending chaos.
Me watching this sub crumble into total leak chaos in real time from r/tearsofthekingdom
All of us rn from r/tearsofthekingdom
Me right now from r/tearsofthekingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom officially launches on May 12. If you're trying to avoid spoilers until then, godspeed.
If you're looking to pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you can follow that link for guide to everything you need to know.
