Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is set to be one of Nintendo's biggest releases of the calendar year with the newest entry in the popular franchise set to release later this week. Nintendo and Monolith Soft have already shared plenty of details about the upcoming game between the story and new gameplay mechanics of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Nintendo has also revealed a two-part Expansion Pass adding new outfits and accessories on launch with story content to come later. Now, with the game's release only a few days away, a massive leak sees some fans able to play early.
Leaks have become all too common in the gaming industry with many of the most highly-anticipated games seeing their content revealed early. Nintendo has struggled against leakers with many of its major releases with franchises like Pokemon and Fire Emblem often being a focus. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has similarly seen leaks since its initial reveal, like when Nintendo erroneously leaked key art for the new game earlier in the year. Now, the biggest Xenoblade Chronicles 3 leak yet has seen major spoilers and even a full ROM of the game posted online.
With the newest Xenoblade Chronicles scheduled to launch later this week, some fans of the franchise have received their copies early, resulting in several leaks. However, the most notable of these came in the form of a ROM of the full game being leaked with players like YouTuber SomeOrdinaryGamers even getting the game to run on a Steam Deck. Fans have also noticed the game going up for re-sale at significantly marked-up prices on sites like eBay ahead of its Friday launch.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3's recent leak will likely be a major headache for Nintendo given the company's own rocky history with fan emulation. Nintendo was already taking efforts to stem the flow of Nintendo games being emulated on Steam Deck from early in the handheld console's life, blocking videos about Nintendo emulation. The Mario developer has also been criticized by fans for its aggressive actions against emulation in the past, going after emulation-focused websites without providing a way to play many of its older games.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 comes as the newest title in a 2022 that has been packed with high-profile first-party releases from Nintendo. The first half of the year has already seen major franchises like Pokemon, Kirby, and Fire Emblem receiving new games. Others like Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, and Pokemon's newest generation in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to arrive throughout the second half of the year. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will look to see similar success for Nintendo when it launches at the end of this week.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will release on July 29 for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Eurogamer