The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom spoilers are in the wild

Social media is currently awash with Tears of the Kingdom spoilers, so be wary when browsing online.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review roundup

More than a week ahead of launch, spoilers for major plot details in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have made their way online, with screenshots and footage currently doing the rounds on social media. The leaks appear to have originated from physical copies of the game, sold far ahead of launch and dumped online by pirates.

According to Kotaku, some players have already downloaded these files and attempted to stream the game on Twitch, before they were caught and suspended on copyright grounds. Many more players are simply sharing spoiler screenshots online, spreading them throughout Reddit, Twitter, and private Discord servers.

While Nintendo is working diligently to take down these leaks, it’s difficult to put them back in the bottle once they’re out in the world. If you’re keen to jump into the game fresh, now is the time to set up any filters and block words on social media.

Read: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Gameplay Preview

Those caught disseminating leaks are likely to face legal challenges, as Nintendo has become well-known for its strict stance on piracy in recent years. In early 2022, hacker Gary Bowser, who was part of the group responsible for creating devices to play pirated ROM files for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his efforts.

In 2023, he was released – at the cost of paying US $14.5 million in damages, which will reportedly take around 25-30% of his gross monthly income, for the rest of his life.

Nintendo will likely pursue the Tears of the Kingdom leakers with the same vigour, given it also recently subpoenaed Discord to track down the origins of the leaker who only posted images from the game’s art book.

It should go without saying, but if you see spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the wild, don’t spread them. There’s just over a week to go until the game officially launches on 12 May 2023 – so stay patient, and try to keep an eye off social media until then.

02/18/2024 05:26 am GMT

GamesHub has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content. GamesHub may earn a small percentage of commission for products purchased via affiliate links.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.