Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Was Almost Given a Different Name

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Was Almost Given a Different Name

Key Takeaways

  • Nintendo was once seriously considering naming Tears of the Kingdom “Tears of the Dragon.”
  • The company opted for the Tears of the Kingdom title fairly late into the game’s development.

As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt, I can’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia upon learning that Nintendo almost named The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as “Tears of the Dragon.” It’s fascinating to delve into the creative process behind such iconic games, and this tidbit offers a unique insight into the decision-making at one of the world’s most renowned gaming companies.

Initially, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was almost named Tears of the Dragon. This information comes from a high-ranking Nintendo executive who has disclosed the reasons behind Nintendo’s decision to ultimately choose the title The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom over Tears of the Dragon.

Major story spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom ahead.

In the game Tears of the Kingdom, the enigma surrounding the Light Dragon’s identity turns out to be a significant part of the plot. As players delve deeper into the story, they uncover an intriguing truth: the Light Dragon is none other than Princess Zelda herself.

Nintendo Once Considered a More Straightforward Title for Tears of the Kingdom

In the past, Nintendo contemplated using a simpler title that drew from the concept of the Light Dragon for their game. This information comes from Eiji Aonuma, a long-standing producer of The Legend of Zelda series, who shared this in Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, an art book focusing on the 2023 hit game. Published on August 30, the book includes a passage where Aonuma discloses that Nintendo was seriously thinking about calling its latest mainline Zelda game Tears of the Dragon, as reported by Nintendo Everything.

Nintendo Dropped ‘Tears of the Dragon’ Title for Fear of Spoiling TOTK’s Big Surprise

In the last round of potential titles, Nintendo strongly considered using “Tears of the Dragon“, but ultimately passed on it due to concerns about revealing that the Light Dragon in Tears of the Kingdom is Zelda, a secret they wanted to preserve. The game’s logo design also included dragon imagery, which Nintendo had been considering for some time, but chose not to include because of apprehensions over potential story spoilers. This insight was shared by industry veteran Aonuma.

Letting it slip that the Light Dragon is Zelda would have been a problem.

The title for the game, “Tears of the Kingdom,” was selected partly due to its enigmatic quality, enabling the developers to create a logo featuring a simple representation of the Light Dragon, a design they had long desired. Aonuma explained that this name was proposed by an employee from Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development (EPD) division who was in charge of the project.

The events being discussed likely occurred towards the end of the development process for “The Tears of the Kingdom”. It was shared by Aonuma that the title was suggested when Nintendo was running short on time for development. Given this information, it’s plausible that the name was finalized as late as 2022, since the official title of its predecessor, “Breath of the Wild 2”, wasn’t announced until September of that year, a good 20 months prior to the game’s release.

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2024-09-08 20:13