By now, the news of the tragic death of prolific actor and comedian Robin Williams has become quite widespread. Reactions to the apparent suicide of the man who has entertained audiences around the world for decades have left many fans shaken, enraged and mournful. However, in the aftermath of all this, a petition has begun circulating in an effort to honor the memory of the legendary funny man–by immortalizing Williams in one of his favorite franchises, The Legend of Zelda.
The Change.org petition has a simple request: to encourage Nintendo of America, when the new Zelda game currently in development enters the localization process, to name one of the game’s non-player characters Robin in honor of William’s love for the franchise. The community is not seeking to have Nintendo create a new character with William’s likeness or mannerisms–simply to name an existing character after him for the English release. I think the petition’s author, Nick Schaedel, said it best in his proposal: “He won’t get to play it, but he’ll live on forever in a universe he always loved.”
At the time of this writing, the petition needs 8,668 more signatures to reach its 75,000-signer goal. Anyone questioning William’s devotion to the franchise need only look at his daughter, actress and gaming community darling Zelda Williams, whom he confirmed he named after the titular princess. It’s unclear whether or not Nintendo of America would consider the community’s request, but, hey, even if nothing comes of it, I can at least name my Link Robin when the new game rolls around.
