Was the Hero of Time's fate intentional on Nintendo's behalf?

[Spirit]

Ocarina of Time's Link, the Hero of Time, has a pretty bad time of it once he has saved Hyrule.

In one outcome, he dies.

In another, he dies and becomes a Stalfos/Hero's Shade.

In another, he loses out on his childhood.

This Link doesn't have a happy ending, but were his dark fates on each timeline part of Nintendo's plan for the character, or is it something that happened by accident as they built sequels around Ocarina of Time?

What do you think?

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I feel like not sending him back would have been the best scenario. I think of his death on the Hero Sent Back timeline as punishment for him altering an event that is said to have been predestined. So on that timeline his sad ending is intentional, I feel.

Losing 7 years of his life isn't really fair either, but it's the sacrifice he had to make to save Hyrule.

The Downfall timeline was probably added just because of the sequels.

 

[Dio]

I don't think the decline timeline and death outcome was thought of pre HH, but he does become a Hero in the child timeline despite his loss of innocence which is not the worst fate you can have. And of course we see in TP he has died as does everyone. Probably a warriors death rather than choking on his own fluids at 90 on his sickbed. Not a bad ending along with having a purpose even in death.