Almost a month late, Nintendo UK finally acknowledges Tears of the Kingdom

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With the national mourning period over with, Nintendo's unfortunately-timed title has reappeared

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo's UK branch has finally acknowledged The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom after nearly a month.

As you can see below, the Nintendo UK official Twitter account tweeted out the trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom yesterday on October 3. As it happens, this is the first time Nintendo's UK sector has publicly acknowledged the sequel, after Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8.

At the time, Nintendo stated that it wouldn't be broadcasting a Nintendo Direct presentation - which took place on September 12 - out of respect for the Queen's passing. Instead, the company uploaded an on-demand video of the Nintendo Direct presentation to its UK YouTube channel an hour after it had aired in other regions around the world.

It was at this Nintendo Direct presentation that Nintendo unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as the full title of the Breath of the Wild sequel. In the weeks following the event, Nintendo's UK arm has never tweeted about, or uploaded any YouTube clips or videos for the forthcoming sequel - a surprise, given that the long-awaited title is easily the company's most anticipated upcoming game.

Although it was never explicitly stated, the assumption was always that Nintendo was worried the "Tears of the Kingdom" part of the title would upset its UK audience in some manner. The official mourning period following the Queen's death only ended last week, and given that Nintendo generally has the public perception of a straight-faced company, it's easy to see why the company could have been worried about causing offence.

As for the sequel itself though, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, 2023 around the world, including in the U.K. A small detail in the trailer last month might link Tears of the Kingdom to Twilight Princess, which fans are no doubt excited by. 

Check out our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order guide for information on where to get the sequel on the cheap.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.