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Okay, who wants to come down the rabbit hole with us? It’s going to be a winding road, but it’ll be an interesting one as well. Full of speculation and even a pseudo-comment from Nintendo, this one could potentially explain some of the discussion surrounding Nintendo’s Direct over the last few days.

If you were following Nintendo Direct rumors, you heard that Nintendo was considering pushing back their Nintendo Direct due to Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. This seemed strange to many, as they couldn’t figure out why Nintendo would bother delaying plans because of this. Some said it was related to the period of mourning, while others figured Nintendo didn’t want their presentation to get overtaken by coverage of the queen.

After today’s Direct aired, people are thinking there’s another reason why Nintendo may have considered delaying the presentation, and it all has to do with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s name.

While Nintendo didn’t delay their Direct, they decided not to host the live-stream in the UK. Instead, fans could hop on Nintendo UK’s YouTube after the Direct to see an archived version of the presentation. Nintendo made this decision “as a mark of respect during this period of national mourning.” We didn’t get more of an answer than that, but the reveal of the next Zelda game’s name seems a likely cuprit.

We can finally stop calling The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 by its placeholder name, as Nintendo revealed the official title to be Tears of the Kingdom. When you stop and reflect on that name for a minute, you can see how Nintendo would be extra sensitive about that name reveal in the UK. There are no doubt many who’ve shed a tear over the queen’s passing in the United Kingdom, making Zelda’s name ring just a bit too true.

Nintendo was flat-out asked if Zelda’s name had anything to do with their decision, and not surprisingly, they said they had “nothing further to say on the topic besides what was outlined in yesterday’s [Nintendo UK] Tweet.” Nintendo will likely never share the full explanation behind their decision, but this is one bit of speculation that’s certainly hard to outright deny.

[Kotaku]

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Comments (7)

kuribo

1+ y ago

Yeah it’s definitely the subtitle was the reason they held back. Just a coincidence.

Edited 2 times

sinfield99

1+ y ago

@kuribo

The title will have of course have been agreed a long while back and have some reflection on the story line but the reveal of the title really will be a throw back to this week of mourning here in the UK for me. I think Nintendo UK did the right thing.

Links kneeling too...think we could see the loss of a big character in this game.

Edited 4 times

I meant no offence. Edited on your request.


sinfield99

1+ y ago

@kuribo

Thank you appreciate it, still a bit raw here and didn't want you to get any others from the UK taking it the wrong way 👍

Having said that, you just need to take a look at the Kotaku post comments to see a prime example of how RMC often refers to the scum of the internet at their very best.

Edited 1 time

sligeach_eire

1+ y ago

There's plenty of people in the UK(and worldwide) NOT shedding Tears of the Kingdom, and rightly so. The authorities there are trying to silence peoples legitimate peaceful protests.

I hope UK people were able to find the uploaded pre-recorded video of the Direct delayed by 20 minutes after it ended everywhere else in the sane world, in the "archives". I'm picturing the last scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark. 🤠


The police are acting in the same way as if someone was to disrupt the inauguration. They are being arrested on public disorder and released without charge. There's a time and a place for peaceful protest. I can totally understand the monarchy is not to everyone's liking and there is a lot of history there...but surely not when the majority of the population respect the royal family and are in a state of mourning. In fact, those protesting are being 'handled' by the general public and the police are in to control.

Taking it back though...roll on the 12th May!! I can't wait!! We had access to the US feed, they dont block the channels from other regions 😉

Edited 1 time

hylianlikely

1+ y ago

@rawmeatcowboy

Thank you for the respect shown to the people mourning the Queen's death. Kotaku has an article on the same subject and, instead of using her name or title, they said "Whlle the whole world has been notified of the death of a person with a substantial connection to a bloody history of imperialism and colonialism..."
I'm not British, but I feel like the disrespect shown here is astonishing and disgusting.