Rumours were running wild prior to E3 2016 about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild having the option for a female hero from the outset. As it turns out, though the idea was discussed, Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma ultimately decided against it.
Speaking to GameSpot, Aonuma explained via translator that rumours of a female Link were accurate. “So yes, there were rumors like that, and we did discuss as a staff as to what would be possible if we took that route.”
“We thought about it and decided that if we’re going to have a female protagonist it’s simpler to have Princess Zelda as the main character.”
This resulted in the idea being shelved because “if we have princess Zelda as the main character who fights, then what is Link going to do? Taking into account that, and also the idea of the balance of the Triforce, we thought it best to come back to this [original] makeup.”
The main motive seems to be preserving Link’s identity and while Aonuma does bring up the balance of the Triforce, it doesn’t quite explain why there isn’t the option of having Link be a female.
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