Ubisoft Was Making a Zelda Game Starring Ganondorf Before Nintendo Canceled It, Report Claims
Nintendo reportedly asked Ubisoft Milan to make Ganondorf the lead, but the prototype was rejected and the project was canceled after a late-2023 deadline.
- Insider Gaming reported that Ubisoft Milan pitched a Legend of Zelda spin-off codenamed Goliath to Nintendo, initially featuring a new protagonist before Nintendo requested the lead character be changed to Ganondorf.
- Ideation for Goliath began shortly after the launch of Mario Rabbids Sparks Hope; led by Davide Soliani, the team developed a prototype for the Ganondorf-centric game and presented it to Nintendo.
- Former developer Gian Marco Zanna described the ambitious concept as a "new big bang in the video game universe," yet Nintendo rejected the proposal for reasons that remain unclear.
- Following the cancellation, communication between Ubisoft and Nintendo reportedly stalled, and key developers including Soliani, Gian Marco Zanna, and Cristina Nava left Ubisoft in July 2024, citing the project's demise.
- Since leaving, Soliani and his former colleagues formed Day 4 Night and are currently developing a platformer titled Bradley the Badger, moving forward from the canceled Zelda project.
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A Ubisoft Zelda game? The Mario + Rabbids team reportedly came close to making one with a surprising lead character, but Nintendo pulled the plug
Ubisoft Milan, the studio behind the acclaimed Mario + Rabbids games, reportedly came close to making a Zelda spin-off starring the series' biggest villain, Ganondorf, instead of regular protagonist Link - but an initially receptive Nintendo eventually pulled the plug on the whole thing.
Le Journal de Montreal
The Ubisoft Milan studio has already proposed to Nintendo a game derived from the Legend of Zelda series.
Canceled Zelda Game Centered Around Ganondorf Was Reportedly in the Works at Ubisoft
A new report claims that Nintendo previously canceled a new entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise that was in development at Ubisoft. Back in 2017, Ubisoft and Nintendo teamed up to release Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, which was a tactical strategy game featuring characters from the Super Mario and Rabbids universes. Despite being an odd pairing, the game went on to be quite popular with players, which led to it getting a sequel in 2022 cal…
Nintendo's iconic saga was about to have a game starring the main villain
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