Former Nintendo employees recall the backlash over the Elon Musk Wario sketch as Saturday Night Live mocked Grand Theft Auto 6 and Zelda.

Saturday Night Live’s Sketch About the November 5 and November 19 Clash Between Grand Theft Auto 6 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Recalls a 10-Year Nintendo Connection

Background: A November Release Clash Enters American Comedy

The American comedy series Saturday Night Live airs a sketch lampooning the November showdown between Grand Theft Auto 6 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. The latest Nintendo-related segment is titled Weekend Update: Legend of Zelda's Link and Grand Theft Auto's Jason on Their Competing Video Games, and it is promoted as watchable on YouTube.

The sketch frames the rivalry around two release dates: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has a November 5 release, while Grand Theft Auto 6 looms for November 19. That timing gives the comedy a simple structure: two major franchises, two release windows, and one late-night joke about the clash.

Development: Years Before, a Wario Sketch Made Nintendo Uncomfortable

Former Nintendo employees Krysta Yang and Kit Ellis recalled a more infamous Saturday Night Live sketch from years earlier. Yang was a former host of Nintendo Minute with Kit Ellis, and Ellis is the Kit in the title of their Kit and Krysta podcast. Yang and Ellis both worked within Nintendo for more than 10 years, and they discussed the older sketch on the podcast, as reported by Techradar.

In that older sketch, controversial billionaire businessman Elon Musk appeared dressed as the Nintendo character Wario, on trial for being evil, ironically enough. During the trial, there were mentions of Mario taking drugs and blurred out Luigi dick pics, while Wario-Musk tried to convince the courtroom he was misunderstood.

"That did not go over well," Yang said.

"We were still there for that," Ellis added.

"That was one that was not beloved by the people ... That was not received well at Nintendo," Yang echoed.

Ellis said the Wario sketch came out of "leftfield" because it wasn't obviously tethered to anything, since there wasn't a Mario or Wario game releasing at that time. Ellis recalled people wondering, "Why is Elon Musk Wario?" and said some of the material was getting into subject matter that was uncomfortable for Nintendo.

Why Nintendo and Late-Night Television Still Have Contact

Yang and Ellis insisted Nintendo had nothing to do with the sketch. But they said there is a lot of contact between Nintendo and the producers of Saturday Night Live and other late night shows.

They described people within the communications team at Nintendo who are very focused on that segment, making sure the shows get games when they come out and have access to information. That detail helps explain why a late-night joke about Nintendo characters can feel more than just a joke: Nintendo and the comedy world have a working relationship, even when the company is not directly involved in the sketch.

Latest: A More Direct Sketch, but Still a Bit Cringey

The current sketch puts Legend of Zelda's Link and Grand Theft Auto's Jason in an argument about whose game is best. Yang and Ellis praised Link's costume as custom-made to the remake. Their reaction to the sketch itself was more muted.

Yang said it was generally fine, but she wasn't rolling on the floor laughing, and some moments were a bit cringey. The difference from the older Wario sketch is not that the newer joke is flawless. It is that the newer sketch stays closer to the obvious pop-culture moment: the November release clash.

Current Stage: Two Dates, Two Franchises, and One Conversation

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake was shown in September ahead of its November 5 release, and Grand Theft Auto 6 looms for November 19.

The timeline connects two things: a comedy sketch about a release-date clash and the memories of former Nintendo staff who once saw a Saturday Night Live sketch about Nintendo characters become awkward inside the company. The current sketch does not carry the same discomfort, but the reaction suggests a light comparison rather than a strong endorsement.