Some images making the rounds online suggest that early copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are out in the wild, so fans should be careful about leaks. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is finally nearing its May 12 release date, so hype for the game is at an all-time high.Nintendo has been keeping fans interested in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with gameplay videos that have shown off some of Link's new abilities in the game. One of the most interesting new abilities Link has in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lets him fuse items together to create brand-new weapons. This should not only give Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom players a lot more options when it comes to combat, but it could also be a unique way for the developers to address the weapon durability complaints that some fans had about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It seems there are some gamers who may be getting to try out The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's new gameplay features ahead of launch. There are some images online that seem to show early copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch consoles. Other images claim to show physical boxes of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It's entirely possible that these images have been faked or doctored in some way, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Zelda fans who don't want Tears of the Kingdom spoiled should be extra careful when browsing social media between now and the game's May 12 release date.
It's not uncommon for early physical copies of a game to start circulating ahead of its release date, but with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date still three weeks away, it seems unlikely that these early copies are legitimate. Even so, it might be a good idea to steer clear of Twitter and other social media platforms just to be safe.
The Legend of Zelda series doesn't have as big of a focus on story as other video game franchises, but it would still be disappointing for fans to have plot details spoiled for them ahead of the game's launch. There are many Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom mysteries that Zelda fans are anxious to solve, so hopefully they can stay spoiler-free between now and launch to make all the discoveries for themselves.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.