Tears of the Kingdom leaks made by IGN Japan may have given fans an early glimpse of new mechanics, but that doesn't sit well with Nintendo.

Since the approach of the release date for Tears of the Kingdom is coming soon, Nintendo has started inviting media and gaming personalities to cover the game with preview builds of the upcoming title. However, these previews are usually covered by non-disclosure agreements, with Nintendo obligating those who cover the preview not to reveal to the public very specific gameplay features, story beats, and areas, among other things.

Such a non-disclosure agreement appears to have been broken by IGN Japan, a licensed body managed by Sankei Digital and not directly owned by IGN USA. A video released by IGN Japan, which has since been taken down at Nintendo's request, appears to have revealed a few mechanics that Nintendo specifically asked the media not to reveal yet. Screenshots of the Tears of the Kingdom leaked gameplay and features can be found on this Reddit post. While we're not sharing what was leaked directly, readers can check the post at their own discretion, at the risk of getting spoiled.

What was inside the leak? The Tears of the Kingdom leak contained information on new abilities, key items, and story beats, which we could confirm are beyond what Nintendo allowed the press to cover through the previews.

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What now for IGN Japan? While these Tears of the Kingdom leaks might not lead to any legal action, this breach of trust might lead to Nintendo refusing to share any previews or advanced information with IGN Japan for a long time. However, given IGN Japan's size and influence, that by itself is also not assured. In any case, IGN Japan is playing with fire with what they did, although fans will always benefit from any advanced information they could get about products they are planning to buy.