Today, during Nintendo’s big Summer Game Fest-adjacent Direct, the company officially revealed its much-rumored upcoming Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. And a large portion of the internet reacted by joking that it looked a lot like those fan-created, often not-great-looking Unreal Engine remake videos of Zelda games, the ones that routinely have people saying in the comments that Nintendo should “hire this man.”
On June 9, Nintendo revealed a very short teaser for its upcoming remake of the Nintendo 64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. We didn’t get to see much beyond a few seconds of what Link will look like in the remake, set to launch on Switch 2 sometime in 2026. But those few seconds were enough for people to start comparing this new, more realistic-looking version of the famous hero with how he’s often seen in fan-created remakes and trailers built using Unreal Engine or similar tools.
And sure, we’ve only seen a few seconds, and it could look much better when we see more of the game later this year, but that didn’t stop people from having some fun online or complaining about the art direction of the remake.
Over the years, these fan-made videos have become a meme online as they often lack the charm and character of the original Zelda games they are remaking, and still have people commenting below that Nintendo should “hire this man” or learn something from the video’s creator. With the new Link looking a lot like those versions, a lot of people are joking that Nintendo listened and did indeed hire that man after all. Some even pointed to Nintendo’s upcoming Star Fox remake as also featuring “hire this man graphics.” Others referenced the “Focus Up, M” meme, too.
2016: Nintendo Hire This Man
2026: Nintendo Hired This Man https://t.co/Uf7DyLp4rx pic.twitter.com/hoKNakKMhy— Pinguis (@Pinguis54) June 9, 2026
why is ocarina of time in hire this man graphics
— William (@DooMYouTube) June 9, 2026
NINTENDO HIRE THIS MAN pic.twitter.com/js5sSkcZbI
— Johann (@LookAtMyMeat1) June 9, 2026
I’m sorry but I really can’t get over that it looks like Nintendo finally hired this man pic.twitter.com/Wr8qnRhcog
— Arty the Spectacular Bun 🐇 (@SuperiorGothBun) June 9, 2026
"Nintendo hire this man" ass trailer
— Alejandro (@Alejandro101524) June 9, 2026
You can’t even post the Focus, M video anymore they’re just making that the look
— august (@regularaugust) June 9, 2026
If you look at this and the new Star Fox Nintendo are seriously starting to hire That Man https://t.co/uhDn8Vr57V
— H20: 2nd Impact (@I__HATE_SOCCER) June 9, 2026
NINTENDO HIRE THIS MAN pic.twitter.com/0offXSlAOF
— Snugboy (@RealSnugboy) June 9, 2026
“Nintendo hire this man!” pic.twitter.com/PiBa6KYlLP
— G*rre (@springbris) June 9, 2026
