14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday we were happy to inform you about the fact that Super Mario Galaxy's demo version is in fact the full game. Now, since Nintendo have been so kind to us gamers, some hacker decided that it was time to repay their efforts by leaking the game on the Internet... Goes to show that generosity doesn't matter in the world of videogames, that's now plagued by the piracy issue. It seems ironic that Nintendo is one of the most important fighters against piracy and they've been hit right where it hurts...
The demo copies that were available in the EB games stores had a ten-minute limit of play, but not because of the game, but rather due to the settings of the store's gaming devices. In fact, those disks included the full game and reportedly one of the EB Games employees "borrowed" one of them and leaked it online... Nintendo hasn't issued a statement on the matter yet, but we'll surely see some legal action and counter measures, so we can kiss the "full demos" goodbye for now, at least those coming from Nintendo.
It's a pretty serious leak, considering that the game is supposed to be launched on November 12 in the US and November 16 in Europe. Even the most awaited games of the year like Halo 3 or FIFA 08 were leaked only a couple of days before the launch, but now we're talking 20 days plus before the official release. Will it harm the sales of the Super Mario Galaxy title? Will Nintendo never ever release demos again? Will that EB Games employee be fired?
We'll probably find out the answers to those questions this weekend, when the matter will most likely get cleared. This will surely ruin Nintendo's excellent week that had those BAFTA awards as a peak and now ends with a downer...