Nintendo Is Considering Naming A "Zelda" Character After Robin Williams Following An Online Campaign

Williams was a well-known fan of the Nintendo franchise.

By
Richard James
by Richard James

BuzzFeed News Reporter, UK

Over 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Nintendo to honour Robin Williams.

Stringer / Reuters

Williams, who was found dead at his home last week aged 63, was a keen fan of video games, even calling his daughter Zelda after the popular Legend of Zelda series.

The pair appeared in a number of Nintendo adverts together.

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The change.org petition asks the Japanese company to consider naming a NPC (non-playable character) in the new Zelda game after the actor.

“It was a series he loved, and it’s a small tribute to a great man,” the petition claims.

Nintendo has now responded, with Sky News reporting that a spokesman said on Monday: “Nothing has been decided, but we won’t rule out the request."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

The organiser of the petition, Nick Schaedel, has left a couple of messages on change.org as it attracted more and more attention.

He said he was not expecting Nintendo to totally redesign a character or rewrite the storyline but instead was hoping for a subtle but touching change.

“In my mind, all I pictured was a humble villager on a hilltop somewhere, with a few goats and a nice view," he said. "Not an incarnation of the man, but a tribute to him."

If Nintendo does do this, it would be an unexpected but wonderful outcome. If Nintendo takes some other action or even just posts a statement – which they may well have been preparing these last few days anyway – that is also a wonderful outcome. If Nintendo doesn't do anything, then this petition simply stands as a reflection of a lesser-known way that Mr Williams touched the lives of many people. That's fine too.

Schaedel has also called on people to donate to the numerous charities Williams supported.

Peter Morgan / Reuters
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