Nintendo sends Legend of Zelda care package to grieving fan after heartbreaking letter

Matt and Corey Austen were huge Zelda fans, but Matt passed away earlier this year.

Zelda Wolf Link NX — Wolf Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo

Nintendo has sent a package of Legend of Zelda goodies to grieving fan Corey Austen, after he sent a heartfelt letter about he and his younger brother Matt's love for the franchise. Matt Austen died on 31 May, 2016 due to sudden unexpected death due in epilepsy.

"Corey," read Nintendo's response. "Our condolences on your loss. May your brother's legend live on forever. Thank you for sharing your story. Sincerely, Your Friends at Nintendo." Corey shared pictures of Nintendo's gifts on Imgur.

He has also set up a Zelda marathon livestream to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation, called Moblins for Matt. He gives more details in a post on Reddit. The livestream has been embedded below.

The Austen brothers were huge fans of the Zelda games. Matt in particular liked GameCube and Wii title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, while Corey preferred older entries in the series like A Link to the Past. Both were looking forward to Nintendo lifting the lid on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at E3 2016, but Matt sadly died two weeks before the event.

"The last conversation we ever had was about 16 June (the day of Nintendo's Zelda reveal) and how we were going to text through the entire presentation, taking apart every piece of the new Zelda trailer and the gameplay," Corey wrote in the letter.

Having watched the presentation at work, Corey continued: "There was one part that got me. The Wolf Link Amiibo. When they revealed that the game data from Twilight Princess would be used in Breath of the Wild as a companion, I broke down. Right there. At my desk."

In Breath of the Wild, players are able to use the Wolf Link Amiibo sold alongside the Twilight Princess re-release earlier this year. When used in the new game – set for release next year – it spawns a Wolf Link companion into the game.

"It is because of your creativity and desire to make innovative games that I will never have to lose my brother. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

In response, Nintendo sent a box of Legend of Zelda gifts, including t-shirts, a rucksack, caps, a watch, a Triforce light and the aforementioned note from the company.