Earlier this week Nintendo fans were reportedly surprised when a gamer claimed to have already received a Nintendo Switch. Additionally, the gamer purportedly posted a video of the Switch's UI (User Interface) online, which Nintendo has been successfully keeping from the public's eye for a while now. Despite the initial speculation that the unit was shipped early by mistake, it appears the unit in question came from a batch that was allegedly stolen.
The company confirmed that the process of how the user got the unit was far from accidental. IGN reports that according to the gaming company, the unit featured was most likely part of a batch of shipments that were reportedly stolen by some employees of an American distributor, which was then resold albeit illegally. The YouTube video appears to showcase the gaming system's UI from start to finish when initially powered on.
A representative from Nintendo released a statement, which claims that the company has "determined that these units were stolen." Their statement disproves the previous speculations that a distribution error was to blame for the user receiving a Nintendo Switch earlier than others. The company also confirmed that the responsible party has been identified and "are under investigation." The alleged suspects were also obviously terminated from their workplace.
On the other hand, reports claim that one of the stolen units was returned by one of the users. The user cited that it did not seem right to hold on to the gaming system after it was revealed to have been acquired through illegal means. Other reports note that the UI leak adds up to other speculated accidental information releases for the hybrid game console. Developer-only menus and supposed specs of the Switch were also reportedly revealed before, reports Game Rant
Despite the numerous speculations and supposed information releases, it appears Nintendo maintains control over critical information about the Nintendo Switch. The new gaming device is set to hit markets on March 3, 2017. Even with all the recent accidental reveals and the latest reports of stolen shipments, it seems like fans can't wait to get their hands on the company's latest offer.
