Nintendo has been a video game giant for the better part of four decades now. However, it has been a while since it last had a hit console on its hands. That may soon change with the upcoming release of the Switch console.

Interest has been high for Nintendo’s new console offering, which is part console/part mobile gaming apparatus. So high that apparently someone was willing to steal the Switch before it went to market.

At first many believed the Switch available on the internet indicated a soft release from Nintendo, but the Japanese video game company has confirmed the console was indeed stolen. The person who got their hands on the console released a video to help the curious public get a real idea of what was coming.

However, those who were involved in stealing the units in the United States apparently weren’t too bright. All have been caught, terminated from working for whatever entity they were working for, and will face potential criminal charges.

Nintendo issued the following statement:

Earlier this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer. Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold.

The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges.

Nintendo has been very tight-lipped about its newest console, and that along with a solid showing at the latest CES has people buzzing about the Japanese company for the first time in a long time.

With a scheduled release on March 3rd, it may behoove Nintendo to also capitalize off the buzz created by this unfortunate leak. You know, by actually giving those who want to know actual confirmation of the things included in the video that was released:

Update, July 2021: This video has been removed.

As for the specs that can be seen in the video, UPROXX points out there are some interesting things to be gleaned:

The tidbits we do see, though, are interesting: Apparently the Switch will have 25.9 GB of usable space out of its 32GB onboard memory and there’s a nice Night Mode (called a Basic Black theme, here) that will benefit people who don’t want a glaring white screen all the time and/or want to save a little power.

TV resolution will include a 480p mode for people still using CRTs, which is a generous touch on Nintendo’s part.

Why not just confirm those details to be real, even if they were stolen? It isn’t as if there still won’t be any mystery left. After all, we still don’t know if the virtual console is actually going to make it to market or just how well it will even work.

It isn’t as if interest is going to die between now and launch. Nintendo may be embarrassed that its product got stolen, but it should find a way to take advantage of a bad situation and do something fun to increase the buzz about its next console project.

[UPROXX]

About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!