Nintendo recently updated its official website to provide more information about its secretive “Switch Online: Playtest Program” to participants. The playtest is scheduled to run from October 23rd at 9PM ET to November 5th at 8PM ET and is exclusively available to the approximately 10,000 individuals who have signed up for the program.
Participants can now download the test software in advance of the gameplay start date, which requires 2.2GB of free space. Although participants did not sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), Nintendo did ask them not to share any details about the playtest in the terms and conditions. However, leaks have still occurred, leading to Nintendo issuing copyright strikes to remove leaked content from the internet. Nevertheless, screenshots and information about the playtest can still be found on various websites like X and Reddit.
The playtest seems to be Nintendo’s venture into developing its first massively multiplayer online (MMO)-style game. Players are tasked with collaborating with others to develop a vast planet using creativity and provided resources. They will discover new lands, enemies, and resources as they progress through the game, utilizing “Beacons” to create zones for environmental development. These Beacon zones are personal to each player, allowing them to modify only the zones they have created and not those of others.
In addition to gameplay, there is a social hub called the “Dev Core” where players can level up, acquire items, and engage with one another. Nintendo also mentions the inclusion of “UGC (User-Generated Content) features” for players to create and share custom content. However, players must first pass an in-game test to demonstrate their understanding of respectful communication before unlocking this capability.
Upon initial inspection, the game appears to share similarities with popular family-friendly MMOs like Minecraft and Roblox. The intellectual property (IP) featured in the game is either entirely new, not including any recognizable Nintendo characters, or it could be a placeholder for the game system itself. This ambiguity rules out previous speculations that the playtest would introduce GameCube titles to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
