Ocarina of Time Is Taking on GTA 6, and Nintendo Doesn't Seem Worried

Nintendo appears to have no intention of moving The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time out of GTA 6's orbit. While most major publishers have reportedly shifted their November releases away from Rockstar's enormous launch, Nintendo is sticking with its November 5 release date, giving the Zelda remake roughly two weeks before GTA 6 arrives on November 19.

That decision caught the attention of Akash Gupta, a former producer on Fortnite, who pointed out just how unusual Nintendo's position is. According to Gupta, GTA 6 is so large that the rest of the industry's November release schedule has effectively cleared out around it, while Nintendo has decided to put a remake of one of the most highly rated games ever made directly in its path.

The comparison comes at a time when even Saturday Night Live has started joking about the collision between the two games. A recent sketch poked fun at Zelda and GTA 6, but the audience reaction reportedly leaned more heavily toward the Zelda references. That reaction is interesting because it highlights something easy to overlook when talking about GTA 6's enormous popularity: Zelda has unusually strong recognition outside the traditional gaming audience.

Even people who don't regularly play games can recognize Link.

Put someone in Link's classic green outfit, have them pull out a fairy in a bottle, and a large part of the audience immediately knows what is being referenced. GTA has plenty of recognizable imagery, but its individual characters don't necessarily have the same universal recognition.

You can see that difference when you compare Link with GTA protagonists. Hardcore GTA fans can probably name characters from across the series without much trouble, but casual players may struggle to remember even the name of GTA 5's protagonist.

That doesn't mean GTA is less important as an IP. In fact, it is one of the biggest entertainment properties in the world and could climb even higher once GTA 6 arrives. Zelda simply has the advantage of having used the same central character and recognizable identity for decades.

That gives Nintendo an interesting position going into the holiday season.

GTA 6 is expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches ever, and publishers clearly know the attention it will command. GTA 5 made $1 billion in just three days after launching in 2013, setting a record at the time that went beyond what most movies, albums, or other entertainment products could achieve.

Projections already suggest GTA 6 could go even further. DFC Intelligence has reportedly estimated that the game could generate around $3.2 billion in its first year. For comparison, Inside Out 2, Hollywood's biggest release of 2024, made about $1.7 billion across its entire worldwide theatrical run. That puts the scale of GTA 6 into perspective even before the game actually launches.

This is also why November has become such an interesting month for the games industry. Other major publishers have largely moved their releases into September and October or positioned them elsewhere around GTA 6. Call of Duty moved into late October, while other major games have also avoided going directly against Rockstar's release.

From the perspective of someone who has worked around major release schedules, the logic is fairly straightforward. Release calendars can become a game of chicken. When one game is expected to dominate attention, other publishers usually have an incentive to get out of its way.

Nintendo, however, doesn't appear to have the same concerns.

Part of that comes down to hardware. GTA 6 isn't coming to Nintendo hardware, meaning the two games aren't fighting for the same audience or platform. That gives Nintendo more room to take the risk. Ocarina of Time can arrive, establish itself, and potentially have two full weeks to attract players before GTA 6 launches.

Nintendo also has something that most publishers don't: a fan base that has repeatedly shown up for Zelda. The company can look at the franchise's strength, the recognition around Link, and the history of Ocarina of Time and decide the game doesn't need to compete directly with GTA 6.

That's also why the idea of these two games creating a gaming version of Barbenheimer has started to make sense. Barbie and Oppenheimer were released on the same weekend and became massive successes despite appealing to completely different audiences.

The situation with Zelda and GTA 6 isn't quite the same because the releases are two weeks apart, but the underlying idea is similar.

You have two enormous games with very different audiences arriving close enough together to dominate the conversation. GTA 6 is likely to pull in a huge number of players, while Ocarina of Time has the advantage of decades of familiarity and a dedicated Nintendo audience.

The SNL reaction adds another layer to that discussion. The fact that Zelda jokes reportedly received a stronger reaction than the GTA references isn't necessarily an indication that Zelda is bigger than GTA. Instead, it shows how deeply embedded Zelda's imagery has become in popular culture. Link has been around since 1986, and the character's design and the series' most famous elements have remained recognizable for generations.

Ocarina of Time itself also carries a reputation that makes Nintendo's decision easier to understand.

The original game is widely regarded as one of the highest-rated games ever made, with a 99 Metacritic score frequently cited as part of its legacy. Nintendo isn't simply putting an unknown new game into November. It is bringing back one of the most celebrated titles in gaming history.

That could make the two-week window particularly useful. Players planning to buy GTA 6 may still have time to play through Ocarina of Time beforehand. At the same time, Nintendo fans with no interest in GTA 6 can continue with Zelda without being affected by Rockstar's launch.

Some smaller publishers aren't backing away from November. One indie studio has even scheduled a game for the same day as GTA 6, essentially embracing the absurdity of launching alongside what is expected to be one of the biggest games in history. For major publishers, though, Nintendo stands out as the only one making a serious November release this close to GTA 6.

The bigger story is that Nintendo seems confident enough in Zelda to believe the two games can coexist.

It isn't necessarily betting that Ocarina of Time will compete with GTA 6 on the same terms. Instead, it appears to be betting that the audiences are different enough, and that Zelda is established enough, for the game to succeed regardless of what Rockstar does.

That makes Ocarina of Time's performance particularly interesting once the holiday season arrives. If GTA 6 dominates the industry as expected, Nintendo's decision to stay in November will become an even bigger talking point. If Ocarina of Time performs strongly despite the enormous attention surrounding GTA 6, it will reinforce the idea that certain Nintendo franchises can operate almost independently of the industry's biggest releases.

For now, Nintendo is essentially refusing to swerve.

Most of the industry has made room for GTA 6, but Zelda is staying on course. With Ocarina of Time arriving on November 5 and GTA 6 following on November 19, the two games are close enough to share the spotlight while still giving each one some room to breathe.

It may not be a true Barbenheimer situation, but the comparison makes sense. You have two huge releases, two very different audiences, and two publishers confident enough to believe their games can succeed without getting completely swallowed by the other. Rockstar is bringing GTA 6 into one of the most crowded entertainment launches imaginable, while Nintendo seems perfectly comfortable watching from the other side of the calendar.