Top 10 Worst Kept Secrets in Gaming
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VOICE OVER: Adrian Sousa
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Some companies just can't keep a secret! For this list, we'll be looking at some of the worst kept secrets in gaming such as Devil May Cry V, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Crash Bandicoot and Just Cause 4. Did you find out any of these secrets before their grand reveal? Let us know in the comments!
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Top 10 Worst Kept Secrets in Gaming
The cat’s out of the bag! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Kept Secrets in Gaming.
For this list, we’re looking at some infamous leaks within the world of the gaming industry that made certain information public WAY before the official reveal.
Ok full disclosure for this one, we were aware about this game before the leak, as we had a sponsorship deal with Square Enix for this game, never-the-less we were shocked about how this news came about. Just days before E3 2018 kicked off, gaming platform Steam accidentally put up an advertisement for “Just Cause 4”. Oops! There was no question of the legitimacy of this, and when the game was revealed during Square Enix’s briefing, few people were shocked. With that being said, we can’t exactly blame Valve for this as another store had already leaked the game a few weeks prior. More on that later...
Where do even begin with “Devil May Cry 5”? Info on this game had been leaking for over six months before it was finally revealed at E3 2018. First off, there was the Australian retailer Gameware, who put up a listing for the game only a few days before E3. Later on, it was discovered that Capcom had registered domain names for a “Devil May Cry 5” website. At this point, the cat was well and truly out of the bag. “Devil May Cry 5” was essentially confirmed before we got an official announcement. Scenes and screenshots also leaked in the months following E3 as well.
Everyone remembers the PSP Go, right? ...Right? Unfortunately this handheld console never really made the impact Sony had hoped for. Just a few weeks before E3 2009, a trailer and a handful of screenshots were leaked via Sony’s own video-on-demand service, Qore. So yeah… intentional or not, Sony leaked their own stuff. And unfortunately, the trailer spoiled many PlayStation games that were still in development. As a result, Sony’s E3 2009 was not exactly a heavy-hitter, and the fact that one of their own products leaked it is kind of embarrassing. Might they have leaked it on purpose? That’s what many suspected.
If you’re working on a game for a major franchise, maybe it isn’t the best idea to be working on stuff in public. Better yet, strike a good work/life balance and leave it at the office. Unfortunately, in October 2016, someone was working on a presentation for “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” on a crowded subway. Of course somebody saw a photo opportunity and snapped a photo of the presentation. So, when Square Enix announced the game in March 2018, most of us said, “Yeah, we know.” We can understand if the presentation was done to meet a deadline, but still, you shouldn’t be opening confidential material amidst wandering eyes.
A Mario and Rabbids crossover? Who could have seen that coming? Well, the people who were aware of the leaked promotional image, that’s who. In late May 2017, a promotional image leaked showing Mario and the Rabbids wielding arm cannons and bizarre gadgets. Many wanted to believe this was a fake leak, simple clickbait - but it was too original to be dismissed. Sure enough, Ubisoft announces “Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle” at E3 2017. While many players continued hating on it, some of us gave the game a chance and found an exceptional and often hilarious strategy game.
Gotta love it when stores put up their listings WAY too early! In May 2018, Walmart Canada posted several listings for dozens of games including “Just Cause 4”, “Gears of War 5”, “Lego DC Super Villains”, and “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2”, all of which were eventually revealed at E3 2018. The most famous moment of this was Bethesda taking shots at the retailer for leaking “RAGE 2”. The RAGE Twitter hilariously pointed out inconsistencies in the placeholder art, and Bethesda’s Vice President, Pete Hines, made a comment about the leak during Bethesda’s E3 briefing. Walmart explained that the listings went up due to a glitch and claimed the listings were based on speculation. Suuuuure...
This leak was slow in the making, but nonetheless huge. In 2013, a PS4 commercial contained a street sign that showed a Crash-like vignette with an arrow pointing to a sign resembling the Sony Computer Entertainment logo, causing many to believe Sony was buying “Crash Bandicoot”. Then, at PSX 2015, Shawn Layden was onstage wearing a “Crash Bandicoot” shirt. Was this a hidden confirmation that Crash was coming back? Finally, in 2016, NECA Toys director Randy Falk mentioned that the fan-favorite marsupial was coming back. Sure, the surprise may have been spoiled for a while, but that reveal at E3 2017 was still music to our ears. Shawn could barely get through the announcement!
Ubisoft has had “Assassin’s Creed” leak soooooo many times that its become an expectation to see it in the lead up to E3. Let’s see… There’s the promotional key ring that leaked “Odyssey”. The year prior, “Origins” had been leaked by a screenshot, giving us confirmation of its Egyptian setting. “Syndicate” was leaked by Kotaku, which Ubisoft would later legitimize. Seriously, we could go on and on with these! According to IGN, “Assassin’s Creed” has had THIRTEEN leaks! THIRTEEN!! Honestly, at this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if Ubisoft started leaking games on their own.
After the launch of “Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy”, we all knew a “Spyro” remaster was imminent. Besides, “N. Sane Trilogy” acknowledged the old demo code that “Crash: Warped” had. That had to mean something, right? Adding fuel to the fire, a Twitter account with the name “Falcon McBob” was communicating with the “Crash Bandicoot” Twitter, and various gaming outlets were receiving scaly, purple eggs in the mail. Look, Activision, we can appreciate you guys trying to build the hype, but don’t you think the teases overstayed their welcome? We all knew it was coming!
Whereas most entries have been spoiled because of a leak or two, this one was the most blunt. Was it from leaked screenshots? An early retail listing? Nope! Among questionable marketing materials, Fortnite’s Switch release was evident in updates for the Nintendo eShop. Hackers found codes that referenced the game and even an icon for the Switch’s Home menu. Oh, and a Korean ratings board had listed the game, too. Sure enough, Nintendo revealed Fortnite’s arrival on Switch during E3 2018. With “Fortnite” endlessly trending, the leak quickly became famous, the only actual shocker being that it launched immediately after Nintendo’s conference.
The cat’s out of the bag! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Kept Secrets in Gaming.
For this list, we’re looking at some infamous leaks within the world of the gaming industry that made certain information public WAY before the official reveal.
#10: “Just Cause 4’s” Reveal
Ok full disclosure for this one, we were aware about this game before the leak, as we had a sponsorship deal with Square Enix for this game, never-the-less we were shocked about how this news came about. Just days before E3 2018 kicked off, gaming platform Steam accidentally put up an advertisement for “Just Cause 4”. Oops! There was no question of the legitimacy of this, and when the game was revealed during Square Enix’s briefing, few people were shocked. With that being said, we can’t exactly blame Valve for this as another store had already leaked the game a few weeks prior. More on that later...
#9: “Devil May Cry 5” Exists
Where do even begin with “Devil May Cry 5”? Info on this game had been leaking for over six months before it was finally revealed at E3 2018. First off, there was the Australian retailer Gameware, who put up a listing for the game only a few days before E3. Later on, it was discovered that Capcom had registered domain names for a “Devil May Cry 5” website. At this point, the cat was well and truly out of the bag. “Devil May Cry 5” was essentially confirmed before we got an official announcement. Scenes and screenshots also leaked in the months following E3 as well.
#8: PSP Go Reveal
Everyone remembers the PSP Go, right? ...Right? Unfortunately this handheld console never really made the impact Sony had hoped for. Just a few weeks before E3 2009, a trailer and a handful of screenshots were leaked via Sony’s own video-on-demand service, Qore. So yeah… intentional or not, Sony leaked their own stuff. And unfortunately, the trailer spoiled many PlayStation games that were still in development. As a result, Sony’s E3 2009 was not exactly a heavy-hitter, and the fact that one of their own products leaked it is kind of embarrassing. Might they have leaked it on purpose? That’s what many suspected.
#7: “Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s” Reveal
If you’re working on a game for a major franchise, maybe it isn’t the best idea to be working on stuff in public. Better yet, strike a good work/life balance and leave it at the office. Unfortunately, in October 2016, someone was working on a presentation for “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” on a crowded subway. Of course somebody saw a photo opportunity and snapped a photo of the presentation. So, when Square Enix announced the game in March 2018, most of us said, “Yeah, we know.” We can understand if the presentation was done to meet a deadline, but still, you shouldn’t be opening confidential material amidst wandering eyes.
#6: “Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle” Reveal
A Mario and Rabbids crossover? Who could have seen that coming? Well, the people who were aware of the leaked promotional image, that’s who. In late May 2017, a promotional image leaked showing Mario and the Rabbids wielding arm cannons and bizarre gadgets. Many wanted to believe this was a fake leak, simple clickbait - but it was too original to be dismissed. Sure enough, Ubisoft announces “Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle” at E3 2017. While many players continued hating on it, some of us gave the game a chance and found an exceptional and often hilarious strategy game.
#5: “Rage 2” & the WalMart Leaks
Gotta love it when stores put up their listings WAY too early! In May 2018, Walmart Canada posted several listings for dozens of games including “Just Cause 4”, “Gears of War 5”, “Lego DC Super Villains”, and “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2”, all of which were eventually revealed at E3 2018. The most famous moment of this was Bethesda taking shots at the retailer for leaking “RAGE 2”. The RAGE Twitter hilariously pointed out inconsistencies in the placeholder art, and Bethesda’s Vice President, Pete Hines, made a comment about the leak during Bethesda’s E3 briefing. Walmart explained that the listings went up due to a glitch and claimed the listings were based on speculation. Suuuuure...
#4: Crash Bandicoot’s Revival
This leak was slow in the making, but nonetheless huge. In 2013, a PS4 commercial contained a street sign that showed a Crash-like vignette with an arrow pointing to a sign resembling the Sony Computer Entertainment logo, causing many to believe Sony was buying “Crash Bandicoot”. Then, at PSX 2015, Shawn Layden was onstage wearing a “Crash Bandicoot” shirt. Was this a hidden confirmation that Crash was coming back? Finally, in 2016, NECA Toys director Randy Falk mentioned that the fan-favorite marsupial was coming back. Sure, the surprise may have been spoiled for a while, but that reveal at E3 2017 was still music to our ears. Shawn could barely get through the announcement!
#3: Basically Every “Assassin’s Creed” Game
Ubisoft has had “Assassin’s Creed” leak soooooo many times that its become an expectation to see it in the lead up to E3. Let’s see… There’s the promotional key ring that leaked “Odyssey”. The year prior, “Origins” had been leaked by a screenshot, giving us confirmation of its Egyptian setting. “Syndicate” was leaked by Kotaku, which Ubisoft would later legitimize. Seriously, we could go on and on with these! According to IGN, “Assassin’s Creed” has had THIRTEEN leaks! THIRTEEN!! Honestly, at this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if Ubisoft started leaking games on their own.
#2: “Spyro: Reignited Trilogy’s” Reveal
After the launch of “Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy”, we all knew a “Spyro” remaster was imminent. Besides, “N. Sane Trilogy” acknowledged the old demo code that “Crash: Warped” had. That had to mean something, right? Adding fuel to the fire, a Twitter account with the name “Falcon McBob” was communicating with the “Crash Bandicoot” Twitter, and various gaming outlets were receiving scaly, purple eggs in the mail. Look, Activision, we can appreciate you guys trying to build the hype, but don’t you think the teases overstayed their welcome? We all knew it was coming!
#1: “Fortnite” Launching on Switch
Whereas most entries have been spoiled because of a leak or two, this one was the most blunt. Was it from leaked screenshots? An early retail listing? Nope! Among questionable marketing materials, Fortnite’s Switch release was evident in updates for the Nintendo eShop. Hackers found codes that referenced the game and even an icon for the Switch’s Home menu. Oh, and a Korean ratings board had listed the game, too. Sure enough, Nintendo revealed Fortnite’s arrival on Switch during E3 2018. With “Fortnite” endlessly trending, the leak quickly became famous, the only actual shocker being that it launched immediately after Nintendo’s conference.
