Nintendo kept Zelda sequel secret from most staff
Originally published Jul 19, 2026
By Lewis Parker · Kotaku
AI-generated summary based on Kotaku · Aggregated by GamingCurve · Human-reviewed and approved on Jul 19, 2026
Key points
- Less than ten Nintendo of America staff knew about the game before E3 2019.
- Former PR leads disclosed the secrecy on their YouTube channel.
- The limited briefing increased workload for the few informed employees.
Former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang revealed that fewer than ten employees knew about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before its public debut at E3 2019. Their comments, shared on their YouTube channel, indicate that even senior executives such as former President Doug Bowser were not briefed until the last moment.
Ellis explained that the limited awareness forced him to handle multiple communication tasks in secrecy, while Yang noted her boss’s surprise during the live announcement. The duo contrasted this tight‑lipped approach with the widely anticipated Ocarina of Time remake, suggesting that such rare, undisclosed reveals are becoming scarce in today’s leak‑prone industry.
Read the original story: Kotaku — by Lewis Parker