The eShop version of Darksiders: Warmastered Edition leaked nearly 1 month before release

[vaderise]

So, here's something strange that i couldn't find any news about:

The eShop version of Darksiders: Warmastered Edition has been on the internet since the end of February and the seemingly pirated version of the game could be installed into hacked Switch consoles. I saw this on a gaming CFW- Modding forum, went ahead and checked myself, asked some people on Nintendo CFW Discord and yeah, %100 true.

There seems to be ZERO news about this and the stranger thing is that, the leaked version of the game is the eShop version, so this leak must be straight from THQ Nordic or Nintendo since there isn't seem to be a cartridge based version on the internet. Keep in mind that the leaked version is not a pre-release demo or beta. Full game. Ready to distribute.

Some users on Nintendo CFW discord played the pirated version and they claimed this is a very good port. Some info leaks from the upcoming release:

-Game has 2 modes: High Quality / High Performance.
- High Quality mode has 720p/1080p native resolution. 25-30 fps.
-High performance mode. Lower resolution but 50-60 FPS. Still looks good on portable screen. Feels much better to play.
-14 GB game size.

PS: Please keep in my mind that a pirated version of the game SHOULD NOT BE SUPPORTED or PROMOTED. I just created this thread for 2 main reasons:
1- To let people know about a digital game leak.
2- Share some info about the upcoming port.

 

[Comic Obsessed]

THQ is on a roll lately.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Lock incoming

 

[sambills]

shout out to mark

 

[Deleted member 59]

Having different modes for performance is a great addition. Do any other switch titles have this?

With regards to the leak, it could have come from some press/publication.

 

[vaderise]

Lock incoming

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And why is that, may i ask? I think this is news-worthy since this is not just a simple game leak.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Having different modes for performance is a great addition. Do any other switch titles have this?

With regards to the leak, it could have come from some press/publication.

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Fire Emblem Warriors does (only in Docked mode though). You can select between 1080p/30FPS or 720p/60FPS.

 

[cw_sasuke]

....okay ?
I dont know what you are expecting . its a port of an old game so most people likely dont care about the leak as its expected to run solid on Switch.

 

[vaderise]

....okay ?
I dont know what you are expecting . its a port of an old game so most people likely dont care about the leak as its expected to run solid on Switch.

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It's a port of an old game which didn't run very well on the current gen consoles when the Warmastered Edition first launched. I myself, cannot wait to play this on my Switch, so this info seemed news-worthy to me.

 

[Brutalitops]

I might have to buy this just to support performance mode options on the Switch

 

[Takeru]

This is great to hear. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Interesting.

I wonder what the resolution is in handheld with the good mode.

 

[Xiofire]

Surely this is possible due to hackers on Switch having access to the eShop CDNs?
So if the game was uploaded by THQ to the eShop but not shown or released, this access to the CDNs would allow hackers to pull the game wholesale without issues right?

I'm sure this is how we got Fortnite leaks for the Switch.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

Surely this is possible due to hackers on Switch having access to the eShop CDNs?
So if the game was uploaded by THQ to the eShop but not shown or released, this access to the CDNs would allow hackers to pull the game wholesale without issues right?

I'm sure this is how we got Fortnite leaks for the Switch.

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You wouldn't be able to download the game that way.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Surely this is possible due to hackers on Switch having access to the eShop CDNs?
So if the game was uploaded by THQ to the eShop but not shown or released, this access to the CDNs would allow hackers to pull the game wholesale without issues right?

I'm sure this is how we got Fortnite leaks for the Switch.

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Fortnite only had it's listing leak, you couldn't download the game

 

[vaderise]

Surely this is possible due to hackers on Switch having access to the eShop CDNs?
So if the game was uploaded by THQ to the eShop but not shown or released, this access to the CDNs would allow hackers to pull the game wholesale without issues right?

I'm sure this is how we got Fortnite leaks for the Switch.

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I don't know how eShop works exactly but i don't recall a digital version of a game leaking this early for Switch.

 

[Xiofire]

You wouldn't be able to download the game that way.

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Fortnite only had it's listing leak, you couldn't download the game

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I don't know how eShop works exactly but i don't recall a digital version of a game leaking this early for Switch.

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I stand corrected, very weird indeed.

 

[cucholix]

That sucks, they really needs to stop uploading games to eShop servers months earlier. Hopefully it makes they release the game earlier.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

i mean it's not that big of a news, since it's an old-ass game
but honestly, i don't get why games are uploaded or put up for pre-load like a month before release. it serves no purpose other than leaking the game to hackers. they should allow you to pre-purchase the game (for extra gold coins or whatever), but the actual downloading of the game should only be allowed a week or a few days before release.

Some users on Nintendo CFW discord played the pirated version and they claimed this is a very good port. Some info leaks from the upcoming release:

-Game has 2 modes: High Quality / High Performance.
- High Quality mode has 720p/1080p native resolution. 25-30 fps.
-High performance mode. Lower resolution but 50-60 FPS. Still looks good on portable screen. Feels much better to play.
-14 GB game size.

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this is really good news, i wish more switch games would let you choose between frame rate and resolution

 

[JigglesBunny]

The game itself leaked nine years ago.

 

[Glio]

Shameful that people continue to pirate games.

 

[Kirbivore]

i mean it's not that big of a news, since it's an old-ass game
but honestly, i don't get why games are uploaded or put up for pre-load like a month before release. it serves no purpose other than leaking the game to hackers. they should allow you to pre-purchase the game (for extra gold coins or whatever), but the actual downloading of the game should only be allowed a week or a few days before release.


this is really good news, i wish more switch games would let you choose between frame rate and resolution

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Unless things have changed recently, there's no way to preload and then unlock the game for use before release.

 

[ryushe]

Performance and high quality mode?

 

[Deleted member 2791]

don't get why games are uploaded or put up for pre-load like a month before release. it serves no purpose other than leaking the game to hackers.

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You can't hack preloaded games, they're encrypted.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

Unless things have changed recently, there's no way to preload and then unlock the game for use before release.

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You can't hack preloaded games, they're encrypted.

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didn't know that, my bad

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

I am really curious to find out how this leak even happened if nobody outside of THQ or Nintendo is able to have access to it.

 

[SpottieO]

Performance more is wedome, wish more games did this.

Would kill for a performance mode in something like Daemon X Machina.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

I am really curious to find out how this leak even happened if nobody outside of THQ or Nintendo is able to have access to it.

Click to shrink...

A THQ Nordic employee likely leaked it.

 

[Decarb]

Same thing happened with Dead Cells iirc, but in that case it was the reviewer who leaked it.

 

[stan423321]

didn't know that, my bad

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In your defense, 3DS eShop used to allow such shenanigans. They eventually fixed this problem though. Not sure if they bothered with Wii U and was it ever the case with it.

E: it definitely was the case with one Wii U game update though.

 

[Herb Alpert]

Yeah, probably someone from thq did it

Spoiler

one should check on 8ch they seem to like to go there lol

 

[ShadowFox08]

What are the resolutions for high performance mode?

 

[Dash Kappei]

And why is that, may i ask? I think this is news-worthy since this is not just a simple game leak.

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Usually threads discussing the quality of a game/port/etc are not permitted when the source is a pirated version. At least that's how it was at the Old Place, here I'm not sure.
Saying the leak happened and such = ok; discussing how the game/port/etc is = not permitted.

Not something I agree with (or not), I'm simply answering your question btw.

 

[vaderise]

Usually threads discussing the quality of a game/port/etc are not permitted when the source is a pirated version. At least that's how it was at the Old Place, here I'm not sure.
Saying the leak happened and such = ok; discussing how the game/port/etc is = not permitted.

Not something I agree with (or not), I'm simply answering your question btw.

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Oh i see. Then, i hope the rules of the old place doesn't apply to here in this case :D
Thanks for elloborating btw

 

[DaveB]

Interesting to hear about the performance and quality modes. I'd be curious to see exactly how dramatic the difference is graphically (detail wise) between the two modes. Even games with a slightly lower res look good enough on the Switch's screen. As long as it's not like Xenoblade 2 level resolution drops, that is.

I've got an XB1X and have a few games that come with two graphical fidelity settings, and I honestly don't see a dramatic difference between the two. At least nothing that matters during actual gameplay. 50-60fps makes action-oriented games feel great.

 

[Vena]

Same thing happened with Dead Cells iirc, but in that case it was the reviewer who leaked it.

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Same thing likely happened here, or a THQ employee leaked it themselves, and considering where some of them hang-out I wouldn't be too surprised if it were the latter. You can't just download a title willy-nilly. Someone has to provide the key, and that usually is a "reviewer".

 

[NateDrake]

I am really curious to find out how this leak even happened if nobody outside of THQ or Nintendo is able to have access to it.

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A THQ Nordic employee likely leaked it.

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Review code went out a few weeks ago, so the odds favor a reviewer leaking it. This is why media outlets keep getting access to digital code closer to release because a reviewer leaks it online for online fame. US code distribution for this title was very limited early on, but EU code was of a higher amount -- meaning an EU outlet likely leaked this.

 

[Syriel]

Review code went out a few weeks ago, so the odds favor a reviewer leaking it. This is why media outlets keep getting access to digital code closer to release because a reviewer leaks it online for online fame. US code distribution for this title was very limited early on, but EU code was of a higher amount -- meaning an EU outlet likely leaked this.

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This is why I miss the days of debug signed executables and test kits. Yes, it was a PITA to switch between console types, but at least it limited the idiots that wanted to leak stuff.

It's too bad that early release code these days is generic and not watermarked. Any reviewer that leaks early code should have the entire outlet blacklisted (which did happen back in the day since individual titles were watermarked).

 

[neon_dream]

A THQ Nordic employee likely leaked it.

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Seems like a shitty thing to do to your coworkers, the people who worked on the product.

 

[NateDrake]

This is why I miss the days of debug signed executables and test kits. Yes, it was a PITA to switch between console types, but at least it limited the idiots that wanted to leak stuff.

It's too bad that early release code these days is generic and not watermarked. Any reviewer that leaks early code should have the entire outlet blacklisted (which did happen back in the day since individual titles were watermarked).

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Agreed. Yeah, it was hell to deal with debug kits for early access to games, but you earned that right to have one. I remember having to mail retail code back after signing and agreeing to only having it for 1-2wks.

Physical copies prevented some of this stuff from happening, but digital code distribution is less of a headache -- though some companies (like Nintendo) have shifted back to physical copies for reviews. Why THQ sent out review code 6-7wks ahead of the embargo (doesn't lift until the last week of March) for Darksiders Switch was an odd decision, but with this leak now happening we can be sure it won't happen with their next release. Looking forward to seeing which outlets break embargo now and pirate the game to bypass the embargo .

 

[Syriel]

Physical copies prevented some of this stuff from happening, but digital code distribution is less of a headache -- though some companies (like Nintendo) have shifted back to physical copies for reviews.

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Back in the heyday of print magazines Nintendo used to hand deliver early review code with its own console. Review code was physical locked in the console, and the delivery person would sit in a conference room at the office while someone played. End of the week, and the game/console/person went back.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

Review code went out a few weeks ago, so the odds favor a reviewer leaking it. This is why media outlets keep getting access to digital code closer to release because a reviewer leaks it online for online fame. US code distribution for this title was very limited early on, but EU code was of a higher amount -- meaning an EU outlet likely leaked this.

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Oh wow, review code that early for Darksiders seems super odd. It's definitely that then.

 

[NateDrake]

Back in the heyday of print magazines Nintendo used to hand deliver early review code with its own console. Review code was physical locked in the console, and the delivery person would sit in a conference room at the office while someone played. End of the week, and the game/console/person went back.

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I remember the tethered Nintendo console for review. Things have changed a lot since then... some of it for the better and some not so much.

Oh wow, review code that early for Darksiders seems super odd. It's definitely that then.

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Yup. North America code distribution was limited a few weeks but EU was much more. A lot of game leaks originate from EU.

 

[Syriel]

I remember the tethered Nintendo console for review. Things have changed a lot since then... some of it for the better and some not so much.


Yup. North America code distribution was limited a few weeks but EU was much more. A lot of game leaks originate from EU.

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Yeah, it was something you dealt with, but was always just a bit odd. Someone sitting there silently watching. Saying nothing. But you know they were quietly judging you as you powered through the game for deadline. ;)

As for the EU, it used to seem like Europe was always the source of embargo breaks, but US pubs have also been the source of both embargo breaks and game leaks over the years. Capcom got burned pretty badly by a US print mag with a pirated disc leak back in the PSX days.

 

[Barn]

Having different modes for performance is a great addition. Do any other switch titles have this?

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Fire Emblem Warriors was already mentioned, but Rocket League on Switch has this feature, too.

And, yeah, I echo the sentiment about welcoming it -- it's an option I'm always really happy to see implemented.

 

[NateDrake]

Yeah, it was something you dealt with, but was always just a bit odd. Someone sitting there silently watching. Saying nothing. But you know they were quietly judging you as you powered through the game for deadline. ;)

As for the EU, it used to seem like Europe was always the source of embargo breaks, but US pubs have also been the source of both embargo breaks and game leaks over the years. Capcom got burned pretty badly by a US print mag with a pirated disc leak back in the PSX days.

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Hahaha, it was an awkward setup but I'd love to see how folks would handle it today. The amount of conspiracy YT videos that would surface would be amazing.

Yeah, both EU and US media are responsible for leaks and embargo breaks. No side is innocent. Some influencers in the US will leak code because they don't fear getting caught. Code distribution is more open these days. I remember building a site back in 2003 and sending metrics to PR in an attempt to show we were worthy of a review code. I doubt that is a thing anymore.

 

[Deleted member 5028]

Oh wow, review code that early for Darksiders seems super odd. It's definitely that then.

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Probably to avoid other games getting the review timeshare such as Sekeiro, DMC5, etc. If people have longer to play, they might find the time for THQ.