Nintendo’s mysterious playtest is starting to leak

The trial software can now be downloaded before the start of the game and requires 2.2 GB of free space. Participants did not sign a non-disclosure agreement, but Nintendo required in the playtest terms and conditions that users refrain from revealing details about it – which worked out as expected. While Nintendo has already started issuing copyright strikes to take leaked media offline, screenshots and playtest information are still available on sites like X and Reddit at the time of writing.

This appears to be Nintendo’s attempt to create its first MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) style game. According to the game description, “The goal is to work with others to fully ‘develop’ a huge, sprawling planet using creativity and given resources.” Players will encounter “new lands, enemies, and resources” as they progress Use “beacons” that create zones to develop the environment around their placement. These beacon zones are personal – players can only “move, lift, or manipulate items” in the zones they place and cannot manipulate anything within another person’s beacon.

There is a separate social hub called “Dev Core” where players can level up, obtain items, and interact with each other. Nintendo also describes “UGC (User-Generated Content) features” for creating and sharing custom content, but players must pass an in-game test “to demonstrate that they understand the importance of respectful communication” before using this feature can be unlocked.

At first glance, the game has some similarities to family-friendly MMOs Minecraft And Roblox. The IP is either completely new (as it doesn’t feature any recognizable Nintendo characters) or it’s a placeholder for the game system itself – meaning it could be part of an existing franchise at the time of release. All we know for sure is that previous speculation that the play test would bring GameCube titles to the Nintendo Switch Online service can likely be refuted.