Tears of the Kingdom Leaks
Feb. 21st, 2023 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingSome Redditor whose uncle actually works at Nintendo posted a page-by-page series of photos of the (original Japanese) artbook that comes included with the special edition of Tears of the Kingdom.
A lot of big-name artists have been posting "promises" that they won't post any art that contains spoilers. Good for them, but also...
First, I looked at the leaked pages. They're neat! There are a few new character designs, but no story spoilers. The text is nothing more than design notes. "This clasp connects the two sides of her hairband," that sort of thing.
I actually wasn't all that impressed by the Tears of the Kingdom trailers, which make the game seem like a hot mess of heterogeneous elements that don't fit together. That being said, some of the new character designs are really exciting! I'm not a superfan of video game trailers to begin with, as they tend to target action-oriented 14yo boys. Meanwhile, the Tears of the Kingdom concept artwork is much more specific and interesting, and I think it invites a much broader and more diverse range of people who play games.
To put it bluntly: I didn't like the trailers, but the leaked concept art sold me on this game.
Second, the refusal of media companies to put out nothing more than one or two teaser trailers in advance of a big release is a relatively recent practice. Back before Disney bought Marvel in 2009, it was common to share all sorts of concept art, cast interviews, behind-the-scenes set photos, and so on. One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a video game fan in the 1990s and 2000s was checking out all the cool pre-release content in magazines and on official websites. In my experience, these little teaser "leaks" aren't going to diminish anyone's enjoyment. Quite the opposite, in fact!
Third, I can understand the mindset of someone who wants to go into a game completely "unspoiled," but you have to wonder. How good can a game (or movie) be if the entire experience of enjoying it would be ruined by knowing more about it?
Fourth, I think it's important to put this leak into the context of Nintendo posting a Direct video saying that they would open preorders for a special edition to drive up interest, but then the extremely limited stock was almost instantaneously bought out by scalper bots, as Nintendo's marketing people must have known it would be. Putting the $130 special edition aside, just a regular download of this game costs $70, which is absurd. I am not inclined to take Nintendo's side in any of this, nor am I amused by their weird Disneyesque attempts to create a kind of sacred space around a video game release to drive up interest.
And fifth, it's all well and good for big-name professional artists with large followings to say that they're not going to post "spoilers." Honestly, I understand that having an active online audience of tens of thousands of people necessitates certain precautions against discourse and harassment!
Still, the tail of social media interest in any given media release is a week at most. If you're an artist with a low-to-mid-range following, and you can post your work within the first three days of a release, this translates to a difference between your post getting 3,000 notes and it getting maybe 300 if you're lucky. If you're an absolute amateur like me, this is a difference between getting 3,000 notes and maybe getting 30.
If you're not an artist, I can't begin to explain how intense the pressure to drop everything and produce work quickly is. Intense, and unpleasant. It's also really disheartening to see something that was posted maybe two days earlier get an exponentially higher amount of positive feedback. Essentially: if you can't produce quality work within the magical window, it feels like your work doesn't matter.
(By the way, if your response is "you should create art for yourself," please go sit in the corner and think about why an aspiring or early-career artist might need or appreciate support.)
Meanwhile, if an artist has more concept art and other development material to work with, they can take their time and create good work on their own schedule so that it's ready to go when the magic window opens. Personally speaking, I think being able to enjoy the process of making art instead of operating on an unhinged crunch schedule is much healthier, much more sustainable, and a lot more fun.
TLDR: Maybe being able to access a wider range of information about a game before it releases is good, actually.
A lot of big-name artists have been posting "promises" that they won't post any art that contains spoilers. Good for them, but also...
First, I looked at the leaked pages. They're neat! There are a few new character designs, but no story spoilers. The text is nothing more than design notes. "This clasp connects the two sides of her hairband," that sort of thing.
I actually wasn't all that impressed by the Tears of the Kingdom trailers, which make the game seem like a hot mess of heterogeneous elements that don't fit together. That being said, some of the new character designs are really exciting! I'm not a superfan of video game trailers to begin with, as they tend to target action-oriented 14yo boys. Meanwhile, the Tears of the Kingdom concept artwork is much more specific and interesting, and I think it invites a much broader and more diverse range of people who play games.
To put it bluntly: I didn't like the trailers, but the leaked concept art sold me on this game.
Second, the refusal of media companies to put out nothing more than one or two teaser trailers in advance of a big release is a relatively recent practice. Back before Disney bought Marvel in 2009, it was common to share all sorts of concept art, cast interviews, behind-the-scenes set photos, and so on. One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a video game fan in the 1990s and 2000s was checking out all the cool pre-release content in magazines and on official websites. In my experience, these little teaser "leaks" aren't going to diminish anyone's enjoyment. Quite the opposite, in fact!
Third, I can understand the mindset of someone who wants to go into a game completely "unspoiled," but you have to wonder. How good can a game (or movie) be if the entire experience of enjoying it would be ruined by knowing more about it?
Fourth, I think it's important to put this leak into the context of Nintendo posting a Direct video saying that they would open preorders for a special edition to drive up interest, but then the extremely limited stock was almost instantaneously bought out by scalper bots, as Nintendo's marketing people must have known it would be. Putting the $130 special edition aside, just a regular download of this game costs $70, which is absurd. I am not inclined to take Nintendo's side in any of this, nor am I amused by their weird Disneyesque attempts to create a kind of sacred space around a video game release to drive up interest.
And fifth, it's all well and good for big-name professional artists with large followings to say that they're not going to post "spoilers." Honestly, I understand that having an active online audience of tens of thousands of people necessitates certain precautions against discourse and harassment!
Still, the tail of social media interest in any given media release is a week at most. If you're an artist with a low-to-mid-range following, and you can post your work within the first three days of a release, this translates to a difference between your post getting 3,000 notes and it getting maybe 300 if you're lucky. If you're an absolute amateur like me, this is a difference between getting 3,000 notes and maybe getting 30.
If you're not an artist, I can't begin to explain how intense the pressure to drop everything and produce work quickly is. Intense, and unpleasant. It's also really disheartening to see something that was posted maybe two days earlier get an exponentially higher amount of positive feedback. Essentially: if you can't produce quality work within the magical window, it feels like your work doesn't matter.
(By the way, if your response is "you should create art for yourself," please go sit in the corner and think about why an aspiring or early-career artist might need or appreciate support.)
Meanwhile, if an artist has more concept art and other development material to work with, they can take their time and create good work on their own schedule so that it's ready to go when the magic window opens. Personally speaking, I think being able to enjoy the process of making art instead of operating on an unhinged crunch schedule is much healthier, much more sustainable, and a lot more fun.
TLDR: Maybe being able to access a wider range of information about a game before it releases is good, actually.
