Featured Image Credit: The Pokémon Company
Topics: Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, PC, Pokemon, Nintendo Switch 2
Topics: Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, PC, Pokemon, Nintendo Switch 2
Heads up, Pokémon fans. It looks like Pokémon Legends: Z-A has already been leaked and pirated for PC gamers.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set for release later this week, where Nintendo Switch gamers will finally be able to play the next big Pokémon game after years of waiting.
It appears that this will be the last game of Gen 9 before Gen 10 allegedly launches next year, so it comes at quite a crucial time for Pokémon fans.
Despite the buzz, it appears that Pokémon Legends: Z-A has also been leaked online, and is currently playable on PC and Android devices using a Nintendo Switch emulator.
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This news comes from Nintendo Switch emulation YouTuber tabeneru, who has posted a video showing off settings to get Pokémon Legends: Z-A running on EDEN, a Switch emulation program (thanks, WCCFTech).
Considering Nintendo is probably already lawyered-up for occasions like this, tabeneru was smart to not post any gameplay. Instead, they’ve simply shared the settings menu to get it running smoothly.
However, other YouTubers are sharing gameplay and their own settings, as well as mods to unlock the framerate and resolution. Considering the Nintendo Switch version doesn’t run at 4K or 60fps, that would make it the next best platform to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A after the Nintendo Switch 2.
Obviously, we don’t encourage piracy and would also warn against sharing download links to play emulated copies of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Nintendo has been very protective of its IP with regards to emulation in the past, and considering the game isn’t even out yet, I’d imagine it’s also going extra hard on preventing leaks here.
Still, with Nintendo shifting focus to solely on the Nintendo Switch 2 after the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in December, these kinds of leaks will probably become less common. The Switch 2 doesn’t have an official emulator yet, and it’s expected that this might take a while before one is developed due to the architecture of the new console. So leaked copies of new Nintendo games may not be as fast as before.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be the second game in the Legends sub-series of Pokémon games, following 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It’s also a sequel to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.
GAMINGbible's Sam Cawley called it a “a fantastic Pokémon game”, with the new battle mechanics being “a stellar addition to the formula”. It’s out tomorrow, 16 October, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.