It’s time again for financial reports, and Nintendo’s is particularly interesting, as it reveals that its first-party IPs are doing exceedingly well, including Tears of the Kingdom.
How queerness became calamity in Tears of the Kingdom
19.10.2023 - 19:47 / polygon.com / Eiji Aonuma / princess Zelda
Many players have celebratedThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the space it made to find queer expression in Hyrule. Its story provided just enough possibility space for players to explore in ways that did not conform to its developers’ intent. But stepping into Hyrule Field again in Tears of the Kingdom, I felt much more constrained.
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Players have been looking for gender in this generation’s iteration of Link since before Breath of the Wild released. Donning his tunic’s now iconic champion blue, Link’s androgyny in the game’s very first teaser trailer back in 2014 stirred mainstream audiences to scrutinize the player character’s presumed gender. And as early as that had come into question, so too did the character’s entire identity. The idea of a female Hero of Time simmered. And if the character shown wasn’t Link, then maybe it was a playable Zelda.
Nintendo would eventually address the speculation: Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma said that nothing so revolutionary as a woman was in the works, explaining that changing Link’s gender would “mess with the balance of the Triforce,” while focusing instead on Zelda as a playable female character would leave Link with nothing to do. “If we have princess Zelda as the main character who fights,” Aonuma asked, “then what is Link going to do?”
These assumptions and their casual misogyny reveal that particular kinds of gender are a priori to the very land and cosmos of Hyrule — that the Triforce both represents and enshrines the subordination of women to men in the kingdom’s religion, and that courage and power must only be an essential trait of men. Many fans have been disappointed in Zelda’s continued sidelining, while the developer has been content to give Zelda little to do in her eponymous games. While his developers imagine Link as a blank slate for players of all identities, Sarah Stang contends that Link’s gender expression has never been incorporated into that vision. “Though featuring an androgynous protagonist can be viewed as progressive in a Western context,” she argues, “Link’s design fits in with Japanese cultural preferences and was therefore not an overly risky choice for Nintendo.”
Breath of the Wild’s gender trouble continued closer to release, as a series of leaked screenshots revealed Link’s encounter with the character Vilia outside of Gerudo Town, the all-female city in Hyrule’s desert. The screenshots suggested a transphobic punchline about crossdressing, and the game would deliver on the joke (the quest being a necessary step to completing the game’s true ending). But when the game was released weeks later, players went on to find queer expression and even joy in the wilds of Hyrule. A crossdressing Link was genuinely
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gameinformer.com
07.11.2023 / 15:23
Nintendo Switch Surpasses 132 Million Units Sold Alongside Great Tears Of The Kingdom, Pikmin 4 Results
The Switch continues to inch closer to becoming Nintendo's best-selling hardware ever, as it has now surpassed 132 million units sold. It did so thanks to great software sales for new first-party games released this year like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4.
gamingbolt.com
07.11.2023 / 10:35
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Reaches 19.5 Million Sales
Along with updating its hardware numbers for the quarter ending September 30th, Nintendo also revealed its top ten best-selling titles for the same period. The usual suspects are present, but most noteworthy is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which has sold 19.5 million units since launching in May. Its last sales milestone was 18.5 million units sold as of June 30th.
venturebeat.com
07.11.2023 / 10:22
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hits 19.5M sold
For the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, Nintendo reported that its cumulative sales of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, has hit 19.5 million copies sold.
wccftech.com
07.11.2023 / 09:43
Nintendo Switch Sales Reach 132 Million Units; Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Sold Nearly 20 Million Units
Nintendo Switch has reached 132.46 million units to date, as Nintendo revealed today during its half-year financial report.
screenrant.com
06.11.2023 / 20:59
Is Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Still A 2023 GOTY Contender?
Earlier in the year, successor may have seemed like a potential game of the year, but 2023 has seen many exciting, refined, and innovative games released since then that make the latest title feel lackluster. Compared to ’s marriage of the renowned JRPG series with silky smooth combat, or modernizing the beloved video game series, did far less for. Essentially bolting a clunky item fusion system onto an existing game map, simply cannot stand alongside the true gaming greats of 2023.
thegamer.com
06.11.2023 / 12:45
Ganondorf's Tears Of The Kingdom Amiibo Still Up On Amazon, Zelda Now Sold Out
The Switch might be getting a successor in 2024, but that doesn't mean the 125 million of us who own one have been left to tread water until Nintendo decides to officially confirm what's next. There's plenty still to come for the Switch, and I'm not just talking about games. The console's run of amiibos isn't over yet either, and just last week we got two brand new ones via the long-awaited release of Zelda and Ganondorf's Tears of the Kingdom figures.
gameranx.com
30.10.2023 / 16:37
Famitsu Survey Highlights What Fans Loved About Tears of the Kingdom
When was the last time you took part in a fan poll? If it’s been a while, you must start seeking them out because they can sometimes lead to articles like this! Famitsu, the famous Japanese gaming magazine, decided to host a survey with fans about The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. They asked about characters, locations, the items they could use and cook, etc. In the end, about 1300 people participated in the survey, according to Nintendo Life, and some of the poll questions had some fun results. For example, would you like to guess who was voted the “Favorite Character” in the game?
ign.com
27.10.2023 / 16:39
How Zombies Became Call of Duty's Biggest Mode
Corey Bowman remembers when the zombies first went after him.
thegamer.com
27.10.2023 / 13:41
The Tears Of The Kingdom OLED Switch Is Currently Discounted At Walmart
When it was announced that an OLED Switch was going to come out alongside the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, many people were excited.
destructoid.com
26.10.2023 / 20:47
A brave soul is beating Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bosses with an Ocarina controller
Occasionally, I’ll try a “weird controller” challenge: I mean, playing things with a DDR mat is just a fun idea. But have you ever considered beating Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bosses with an ocarina?
ign.com
25.10.2023 / 23:55
59 Buck Tears of the Kingdom, $49 Resi 4, and Scary Good Deals on Every Halloween Sale!
While Halloween isn't massively celebrated here in Oz, we sure do take a heightened interest in those spooky sales. (Because, hell, I'll break out the festive spirit if there's up to 85% off in my future.) That's all I really have time to say, intro wise, as I suspect today's deals on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Resident Evil 4 will be blink and you'll miss 'em affairs. Happy hunting!