How Nintendo Kept Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Under Wraps With Fewer Than 10 People in the Loop

Nintendo maintained one of the gaming industry’s most tightly controlled secrets by limiting knowledge of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to fewer than 10 people at Nintendo of America before its shadowy E3 2019 reveal. Former Nintendo of America senior public relations manager Kit Ellis disclosed this extraordinary level of secrecy in a recent video, explaining that the project operated under security protocols exceeding those of any other title he worked on during his tenure at the company. The revelation shines a light on how Nintendo executed one of gaming’s most successful information blackouts, keeping even most of its own employees in the dark until the public announcement.

A Fortress of Silence: The Inner Circle of Secrecy

Kit Ellis stated that “less than 10 people probably at Nintendo of America” possessed knowledge of Tears of the Kingdom before its June 2019 E3 reveal. The project held what Ellis described as a “higher level of security than anything else” he had worked on, with access restricted to an extraordinarily small circle. Even Ellis’s direct boss was not included on the disclosure list, and only a single person in the legal department received approval to view the materials—a restriction that underscores the paranoia surrounding the project’s confidentiality.

The initial teaser trailer presented at E3 2019 revealed almost nothing: no official title, no release window, and no gameplay footage. This minimalist approach kept the gaming community speculating for nearly three years. The official title, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, remained unrevealed until September 13, 2022, when Nintendo finally disclosed the game’s name alongside a substantial gameplay presentation. The game subsequently launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023, after being delayed from its originally planned 2022 release window to allow for additional polish.

Internal Impact: Nintendo Staff Left in the Dark

The secrecy extended far beyond external communications—the vast majority of Nintendo employees discovered Tears of the Kingdom’s existence for the first time when the rest of the world did at E3 2019. This unprecedented level of internal compartmentalization meant that staff members working across the company’s various divisions were kept completely uninformed about the sequel to Breath of the Wild, one of the Nintendo Switch’s flagship titles. The decision reflected Nintendo’s determination to control every aspect of the reveal and prevent any information leaks from within its own organization.

Eiji Aonuma, the franchise leader for the Zelda series, later explained to The Washington Post that Tears of the Kingdom was “essentially completed” when Nintendo announced a delay in March 2022. The development team then spent approximately one year on polishing, refining, and perfecting the final product before launch. This timeline confirms that the extraordinary secrecy was not driven by an unfinished game struggling through development, but rather by Nintendo’s deliberate strategy to maintain surprise and control the narrative around one of its most anticipated releases.

The Marketing Masterclass: Hidden Depths and Strategic Reveals

Nintendo’s secrecy extended beyond the game’s announcement into its marketing phase, successfully concealing major gameplay elements from the public and even from gaming journalists. The Depths—a massive underground region of Hyrule that represents entirely new territory unavailable in Breath of the Wild—remained largely hidden from preview audiences. Even journalists who received early demo access, including representatives from major outlets like IGN, were restricted from exploring the Depths in their entirety. Marketing trailers contained underground footage but deliberately withheld the full scope of the area, ensuring players would experience genuine discovery upon launch.

This selective information strategy proved remarkably effective. Players who purchased Tears of the Kingdom encountered substantial surprises, including the revelation that Princess Zelda transformed into the Light Dragon—a story element that remained unknown to the general public until players reached that point in their own playthroughs. The combination of restricted demo access, curated marketing footage, and tight embargo controls allowed Nintendo to preserve the sense of wonder and discovery that defines the Zelda franchise.

Commercial Validation: Record-Breaking Sales Following the Reveal

The secrecy strategy paid immediate dividends when Tears of the Kingdom launched on May 12, 2023. The game sold over 10 million copies within its first three days, establishing itself as the fastest-selling title in the entire Legend of Zelda franchise and the fastest-selling Nintendo game in the Americas. By December 2025, total sales had reached 22.40 million copies, securing the game’s position as the Nintendo Switch’s eighth-bestselling title and the second-best-selling game of 2023 overall.

The game’s commercial success justified Nintendo’s decision to price it at US$69.99—the first Nintendo-developed game to carry a $70 price tag, representing a $10 increase from previous Switch first-party releases. The massive development effort, which involved 1,148 credited individuals with approximately 70 percent (around 800 people) having no prior experience with the Zelda franchise, reflected the unprecedented scale of the project. The secrecy surrounding such a massive undertaking—coordinating over a thousand developers while keeping the project hidden from public view—represents a remarkable feat of project management and information control.

Setting a New Standard for Industry Secrecy

Kit Ellis’s revelations positioned Tears of the Kingdom as a watershed moment for video game confidentiality. By explicitly stating that the project surpassed all other titles in terms of security protocols, Ellis indicated that Nintendo had fundamentally elevated its approach to protecting unreleased software. The tight control ensured that core mechanics, story beats, and gameplay systems remained unknown to the public until Nintendo chose to reveal them through official channels.

This approach stands in stark contrast to the modern gaming landscape, where leaks frequently compromise developer plans and marketing strategies. Nintendo’s success in maintaining its secret—across nearly six years from initial conception through launch—established a benchmark that other publishers and developers now reference when discussing information security and project confidentiality in the gaming industry.

What Comes Next for Nintendo’s Secrecy Strategy

The success of Tears of the Kingdom’s secretive development and marketing approach will likely influence how Nintendo handles future major releases. The commercial validation—demonstrated through record-breaking sales and sustained player engagement—suggests that maintaining mystery and controlling the narrative around anticipated titles remains a viable and profitable strategy in an era of constant information leaks and social media spoilers.

As Nintendo continues development on upcoming Switch titles and prepares for its next hardware generation, the lessons learned from Tears of the Kingdom’s exceptional secrecy will shape how the company approaches information control, marketing strategy, and the carefully choreographed reveals that have become central to Nintendo’s brand identity. The game stands as a testament to what remains possible when a company commits to absolute confidentiality, even in an industry where keeping secrets has become increasingly difficult.