The development and announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were kept under tight wraps at Nintendo, with an exceptionally small number of employees privy to the game's existence prior to its reveal. According to former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who now operate under the YouTube channel Kit & Krysta, fewer than 10 people within the company knew about Tears of the Kingdom before its trailer debuted at E3 2019.
Ellis and Yang, who departed Nintendo in 2022, shared these details regarding the company's internal secrecy. They stated that the circle of awareness for Tears of the Kingdom was exceptionally small, even excluding many within the PR department. Ellis himself noted that his own boss was not informed of the upcoming announcement. The select few who were aware included a couple of Japan liaison personnel, former Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, and Ellis himself.
Ellis, who was involved in the PR and marketing for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, was specifically chosen to be part of this limited group due to his previous work. He explained that while he initially believed his workload would be manageable, the proximity to the E3 2019 reveal meant a significant increase in his responsibilities. He found himself having to manage various teams' tasks in secret to prepare for the announcement.
Yang humorously recalled Ellis's boss standing beside her during the game's announcement at E3 2019, expressing surprise as if seeing it for the first time. The former PR managers lamented that in an era dominated by video game leaks, such tightly controlled and impactful reveals are increasingly rare. They contrasted this with the situation surrounding a hypothetical Ocarina of Time remake, suggesting that a surprise announcement during a Nintendo Direct would generate significantly more excitement than leaks preceding it.