Nintendo Responds to Robin Williams Zelda Character Petition as It Tops 100,000 Signatures

“We appreciate the outpouring of support from the gaming community, and hear the request of fans to honor him in a future game” the company said

Nintendo is proving to be a hard deku nut to crack.

Last week, fans launched a petition to have the Japan-based video game giant name a new character in its next Zelda game after comedian and gaming obsessive Robin Williams, who took his own life on Monday. Williams was a super-fan of the franchise, naming his oldest daughter after its titular princess and even appearing with her in a recent TV ad for the relaunch of one of its games on the 3DS.

Also read: Robin Williams to Live On as Character in ‘World of Warcraft’ Virtual World

“He won’t get to play it, but he’ll live on forever in a universe he always loved,” the petition, which has reached 100,000 signatures, declared.

Nintendo of America, which is responsible for localizing the Japanese version of the game and thus naming the characters, was non-committal in its response, though the company did make sure to pay tribute to the late actor.

Also read: The Big Prank Robin Williams Played on Stellan Skarsgard on the Set of ‘Good Will Hunting’

Robin Williams was loved at Nintendo. Our hearts go out to his family and especially to Zelda Williams, who we’ve worked with multiple times,” the company wrote. “We appreciate the outpouring of support from the gaming community, and hear the request of fans to honor him in a future game. We will not be discussing what might be possible for future games during this difficult time, but we will hold our memories of Robin close.”

See video: ‘Aladdin’s’ Genie Voice Actor Performs Tribute to Robin Williams

Williams was also a fan on massive multiplayer online games, including World of Warcraft. Blizzard, the company that makes that MMPORG, said it will name a new non-playing character as a tribute to him.

Comments