Nintendo asked the illustrator behind the original Nintendo 64 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to draw a new map of Hyrule for the remake. Game director HokWai Ng confirmed the decision in an interview published on Nintendo’s official website on November 2, 2026.
The remake’s map was revealed in September. It follows the broad layout of the 1998 original while adding detail and making some changes. Nintendo’s interview does not name the artist, but Time Extension identified him as Yusuke Nakano, who joined Nintendo in 1992 and has also worked on other Zelda games, including Majora’s Mask and the 2019 Link’s Awakening remake.
Ng said the team wanted the map to preserve the sense of anticipation that comes with setting out to explore an unfamiliar world. The remake also keeps Ocarina of Time’s distinct regional maps rather than adopting the continuous, large-scale world structure of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Ng said the team aimed to retain each area’s atmosphere and the way the regions connect.
The map’s redesign follows the same approach as the remake’s visual updates: preserve familiar landmarks while making Hyrule easier to read. Art director Aya Shida said the team gave more detail to places players can reach in Hyrule Field than to distant scenery. Recognizable features such as the castle and windmill were also enlarged to make them easier to spot.
The team has reworked the proportions, paths and placement of locations to clarify the map without abandoning the original’s visual reference points. Bringing back the original illustrator links the new version to the experience of discovering Hyrule in 1998.
Sources: Numerama.