Hours after the Nintendo Switch Online secret test began, the online multiplayer game was streamed on YouTube and Twitch. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo quickly issued takedown notices for any Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) material that violates its terms and demands that players “not discuss or disclose content from any Nintendo Switch Online program: Playtest”. test the software or website.”
You might have guessed that this would happen after the details from the test site were published as soon as it was opened. Many of these leaked details have already been removed via DMCA requests. But when it comes to Thursday’s leaks, the streams are quickly taken down when they appear. However, playtest clips can still be found on social media and forums. And if you know where to look, find someone streaming it on Discord.
Nintendo announced its playtest in early October, making the game available to 10,000 people with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, which is required to participate. This mysterious event has sparked plenty of intrigue: Nintendo has not revealed any public details about it. Everything shared is from leaks. For a company like Nintendo, this is an unconventional way to test a design; There is so much hype around everything this company does and it was almost guaranteed to be someone I will publicly publish information about the test. This is reminiscent of a similar moment with Valve’s recent shooter Deadlockwhich was quietly released for testing on Steam as part of an “early development release”. Valve asked invited players not to share any information from the game, but did not require them to sign contracts. They were quickly made available online.
The essence of the Nintendo game is that players develop the planet by building in their own personal zones, marked by lanterns that illuminate miniature areas. Players can build, move things and edit the world in their own zone. There seems to be a lot of building up to expand the zone. It looks very similar at the moment Minecraftwith a block-based voxel art style. It’s unclear what the game will look like when it is officially revealed or released. Players can also hang out in the social area and create user-generated content, although there hasn’t been much of it online.