Many didn't know that Robin Williams was a huge gamer, even naming his daughter Zelda after the titular princess from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series.
Fans of both Williams and of Nintendo went to Change.org to petition having a character named Robin in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda game for Nintendo's latest console, the Wii U.
The petition reads, in part, "Robin was an avid player of video games, with a love for all things Nintendo, and a particular love of all things Legend of Zelda. ... So, in a day where there aren't many words, what can we do? Well, there's a new Zelda game on the horizon. ... I would like to suggest that when the game is localised to English, Nintendo of America and the Treehouse name one of the characters 'Robin' in his memory."
The petition now has over 96,000 signatures.
Polygon contacted Nintendo about the petition, and the company responded. "Robin Williams was loved at Nintendo," said a Nintendo spokesperson. "Our hearts go out to his entire family, and especially to Zelda Williams who we've worked with multiple times. We appreciate the outpouring of support from the gaming community, and hear the request of fans to honor him in a future game. We will not be discussing what might be possible for future games during this difficult time, but we will hold our memories of Robin close."
While not being a definitive confirmation of a tribute in the next The Legend of Zelda game, expected in 2015 or 2016, Nintendo has implied some kind of gesture may be included in the game.
Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda Williams were both featured in several ads in 2011 for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, for Nintendo's handheld Nintendo 3DS, and for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii.
The Legend of Zelda was only one of many games that Robin Williams was fond of. He also played World of Warcraft. Fans of WoW asked Blizzard to pay tribute to the comedian in WoW. In response, the company tweeted out a tribute message to Williams that seemed to confirm his upcoming addition to the MMORPG:
"Thank you. You gave us so much joy in our lives, and we hope you enjoyed your time in our world. We'll see you in-game."
