What Nintendo employees found out about Tears of the Kingdom

Nintendo has long cultivated a reputation for keeping its most ambitious projects under lock and key. And nowhere is this more evident than in the development of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The announcement of this sequel was one of Nintendo’s most closely guarded secrets, a narrative so confidential that many employees only discovered the existence of the game during an E3 2019 livestream.

This level of secrecy extended deep into the development process. Former Nintendo of America marketing and PR leads, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, shared that Tears of the Kingdom had a higher degree of security than any other project they were involved in. They claimed that only a very small handful of people within NoA were privy to its existence.

Ellis, who served as the director of social media marketing and original content at the time, reflected on the immense trust placed in him. He admitted that he had to work on the sequel in complete secrecy, coordinating complex communications without his social team knowing anything. “I had a ton to do,” Ellis shared. “There was this big communications team, like an E3 machine, cranking out materials, and obviously the main place for this was in the Nintendo Direct.” He noted that handling these various teams’ jobs secretly meant feeding them information and directing their efforts.

The official teaser released was a major surprise to the staff, prompting immediate celebration among surprised employees. Years later, when Tears of the Kingdom finally landed on Switch consoles, it was met with widespread acclaim. Critics praised how the game expertly expanded upon its predecessor while pushing gameplay systems to entirely new heights.

The longevity and evolution of the Zelda franchise continue to impress. The series has maintained a constant presence across Nintendo hardware for years, continuously redefining what players expect from interactive storytelling. This progression is evident in recent developments, including titles that act as rich backstories, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and games like new action figures.

Looking ahead, Nintendo is continuing to build on this legacy by planning further expansions, including the highly anticipated live-action Zelda movie and updates for current hardware, ensuring that the adventure continues to evolve for fans worldwide.