Tears of the Kingdom producer says it's "up to the player's imagination" whether Zelda and Link are dating

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"Everything that the development team wants to convey has already been placed into the game"

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

It's up to you to decide whether Zelda and Link are romantically involved in Tears of the Kingdom, according to series producer Eiji Aonuma.

Talking to IGN, Aonuma said Tears of the Kingdom never explicitly confirms whether or not Zelda and Link are dating for a very good reason: the developers would rather you decide for yourself if the relationship between the two heroes is anything more than platonic.

"I will leave it to everyone's imagination [whether Link and Zelda are in a relationship]," he said. "I don't think that Zelda is a type of game where the development team says, 'This is what Zelda is, this is what the story is, this is what the game is.' Everything that the development team wants to convey has already been placed into the game. And the rest is up to the player's imagination, and their reflection on how they feel… what they've experienced in the game."

Back in May when Tears of the Kingdom launched, Zelda voice actor Patricia Summersett spoke on the exact same topic in close alignment with what seems to be Nintendo's broader messaging strategy on the issue. After initially being misinterpreted as being on Team Couple, Summersett soon set the record straight, saying the game "does not imply a romantic couple" and that "it is not up to me to determine" the type of relationship they're in.

Aonuma also said he doesn't get why some fans want to go back to the "limited" and "restricted" games before Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.