SNL's Zelda vs GTA 6 sketch probably didn't upset Nintendo much, former marketing leads say

Saw the GamesRadar writeup about that SNL sketch and figured it was worth a thread. The one where they put Ocarina of Time up against GTA 6 and basically made Link look like the dorky option. It blew up online for a minute.

The interesting part is GamesRadar talked to a couple former Nintendo marketing leads. Their take is that Nintendo probably didn't lose sleep over it. The sketch framed Link as being for nerds, sure, but these folks say that kind of ribbing usually rolls off. One of them apparently noted the company wouldn't have loved every single joke, but it's not the kind of thing that triggers a call to legal.

Which makes sense if you think about it. Nintendo's been the butt of plenty of jokes over the years and they rarely respond. Meanwhile Rockstar gets dragged constantly and they just keep quiet too. The sketch only worked because GTA 6 is such a massive cultural thing right now that SNL can use it as the cool side of a comparison.

What got me was how the sketch leaned into the old stereotype that Zelda fans are stuck in the past and GTA fans are living in the now. Ocarina of Time came out in 1998. GTA 6 is a month and change away. The joke writes itself, but I'm not sure it's all that accurate. Plenty of people are replaying older GTA games while they wait, and Zelda fans are probably just as hyped for whatever Nintendo does next.

Still, it's wild that GTA 6 is big enough to be the punchline setup on SNL before it even launches. We've had two trailers, an extended look, pre-orders open since June, and now late night comedy is using it as shorthand for the hot new thing. The marketing cycle has been weird but it's clearly working.

Do you think the sketch was actually funny, or did it just feel like an easy jab at both fanbases?

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Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.