During an interview with GameSpot, it was revealed that there would be no option to have a female Link in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The staff had thought about the idea, but stated how difficult it was, and opted to try and make Zelda the star instead. That idea was also shot down when they realized they had no idea as to what to have Link do, as he is often the one fighting and traveling in place of Zelda.
They also brought up the Tri-Force, though didn’t go into great detail as to how that proved to be an obstacle as well, or how it determined things like gender. These details, however, can be traced back to Skyward Sword with Link’s origin — though the manga gives more information as well.
There has been a mixed reaction from fans online, as some are against it (or at least the reasoning behind it):
I’m not annoyed that there’s no Female Link in Spirit of the Wild, but I am annoyed they have such irritating reasoning for the choice.
— Laura Kate Dale (@LaurakBuzz) June 14, 2016
For anyone asking why an eternally reincarnated hero named Link can’t be born female: it’s because women lack the capacity for Courage duh
— Bill Zoeker (@BillZoeker) June 14, 2016
While others don’t care much about the news:
Why is everyone upset that there’s no female link in breath of the wild? Did everyone forget about Linkle? wtf
— Clo (@Cloesy) June 14, 2016
Are people REALLY getting mad over No female Link? It was never confirmed! It was a rumor that spun way out of control
— HMK @ #E32016 (@HMKilla) June 14, 2016
There had been speculation for a female Link for a lot of time since the first trailer for the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the way Link looked made fans speculate if this could star a female Link. Fans were on board with this concept, and there was positive reception with Linkle due to her similarities to Link. In fact, Linkle was being considered for future projects. But apparently not for this one.
