It comes as no surprise these days that a game has leaked just weeks before its release, and this time, it's happened to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This title is set for release on September 26, and allegedly copies of the game have already leaked online. Just on Friday, the game showed up for the first time on the internet, so now Nintendo has to try and get rid of any footage or gameplay, as it is illegal to have the game via emulation already. The ROM for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has been confirmed by YouTuber Nintendo Prime in a YouTube video, but he has stated that he will not share it as it is "illegal and career-ending to do so."
This isn't Nintendo's first rodeo, as 2023 was full of leaks for Nintendo. Content from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom surfaced online, as well as content from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Additionally, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fully leaked online two weeks before its official release date. Metroid Dread, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl were also caught in the crossfire of being leaked on the internet before their release dates.
With Nintendo's strict rules about piracy, emulation, and game conservation, this is not surprising. ROMs of their most famous games from the 90s have been removed from the internet for years, including those who try to make fan games or mods. In addition, Nintendo has recently been giving out orders to retailers to cancel people's pre-orders of their first-party games. This was recently seen with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.
Nintendo never gave a reason for why they were doing that, but people assumed that it was so that the employees couldn't get hold of the game early, create a ROM, and pirate the game. It makes sense that Nintendo would make this decision when, just last year, GameStop fired an employee for doing that with Zelda: Tears
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