WATCH OUT: Sonic X Shadow Generations leaks are live

The “Year of Shadow” has hit its first snag. Sonic x Shadow Generations leaks have popped across the Internet a few days shy of the game’s October 25, 2024 release date. If you’re a spoiler-avoidant Sonic the Hedgehog fan, now might be a good time to curl up.

Shadow Generations has made its way onto emulators early.

The Nintendo Switch build of Sonic x Shadow: Generations seems to be the source of most, if not all, of the leaks we’re seeing. While gameplay screenshots from Generations’ new Shadow’s storyline have been drifting in for at least a week, the more advanced leaks we’ve seen over the last few days seem to have started with a YouTuber named Vexi.

Based on a statement in the description page of their first Generations leak video, Vexi somehow got the game’s Switch build early and ran it on an emulator. It’s impossible to tell what Switch emulator Vexi played the game on, but the footage’s high frame rate leads me to suspect it’s one of the higher-quality ones, like Ryujinx or Suyu.

Vexi isn’t the only one posting Generations leaks. Extensive gameplay videos, cutscene captures, and even unedited footage of the game’s final boss fight and ending are cropping up on YouTube and X (the messaging app formally known as Twitter.) The Sonic fandom’s reactions to this leak have been pretty mixed. Some fans are barreling toward the leaks like moths to a flame; others are lying low, trying their best to avoid spoilers, waiting patiently to experience the game’s biggest twists when it’s officially released.

Sonic x Shadow Generations spoilers are only going to get worse from here

Unfortunately, as is usually the case with leaks of this magnitude, things will only get worse for Generations players hoping to go into the game spoiler-free from here. Early access for Sonic x Shadow Generations: Digital Delux Edition will start tomorrow, and players who purchased it will be free to upload content from their game playthroughs onto social media. So far, SEGA has done nothing to stop the flood of Generations leaks already pouting in, so I seriously doubt they will act any differently once the Digitial Delux Edition goes live.

How to avoid Spnic X Shadow Generations leaks and spoilers

Avoiding spoilers is never a walk in the park, especially when you share fandom with people who don’t care about being spoiled and assume everyone else feels the same way. If you want to go into Generations blind, I’d recommend steering clear of social media for a few days. Block any hashtags related to Sonic x Shadows Generations and tell YouTube not to recommend Generations videos to you. If you’re careful, you should be able to stay spoiler-free until Generations officially drops.