GameStop employee fired for leaking Zelda: TotK OLED Switch

Just a few weeks back, fans were wondering if Nintendo was going to release a special version of the Switch OLED to celebrate The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We were all waiting for an official announcement from the Big N, but we got tipped off a bit early due to a GameStop employee sharing some inside info.

A GameStop employee took to Reddit to share a picture he took of GameStop’s internal release listings. That picture showed a generic Switch SKU that had been added to the system alongside a placeholder date. That in and of itself didn’t confirm a Zelda-themed Switch OLED, but it certainly seemed to hint at one.

As you now know, Nintendo does indeed have a Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED in the works, and the listing the GameStop employee shared was spot-on. Unfortunately for that employee, Nintendo was none too pleased that even a hint of their future plans was leaked.

The GameStop employee that snapped the picture was called into his store on April 5th, 2023 only to find out that he was in some hot water. His store keys were taken, he was placed on suspension, and he was told his final punishment could result in being let go from GameStop. That would be the most severe punishment dished out for the leak, and in the end, that’s exactly what happened to the employee.

While not confirmed by Nintendo, multiple people close to the situation have said that Nintendo themselves were pushing GameStop hard to remedy the situation. GameStop felt their hands were tied in the matter, leading to the employee’s firing.