Report Reveals Ubisoft Milan Was Developing a Canceled Zelda Spinoff Starring Ganondorf
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
A new report reveals that Ubisoft Milan spent a year developing a canceled Legend of Zelda spinoff starring Ganondorf before Nintendo ultimately rejected the prototype.
Nintendo and Ubisoft built a surprisingly fruitful partnership over the last decade, giving us breakout tactical hits like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. According to a recent report by Insider Gaming, Ubisoft Milan wanted to push that collaboration even further by pitching an original Legend of Zelda spinoff tentatively called Goliath. The project centered on an unknown protagonist before Nintendo stepped in with a major creative pivot and asked the team to put players in the boots of the franchise's iconic antagonist, Ganondorf.
Ubisoft Milan spent a year building a prototype based on Nintendo's directive, but the project ultimately hit a dead end when Nintendo rejected the build in late 2023. The exact reasons for the cancellation remain under wraps. Following the rejection, discussions between the two publishers began to cool off. The studio attempted to pitch other concepts involving Mario and Star Fox properties, but talks ultimately dissolved, leading to the internal restructuring of the development team.
While losing a rare villain-led Zelda project stings for fans who love deep narrative explorations, it fits into a long history of ambitious Nintendo spinoffs left on the cutting room floor. Ubisoft Milan veterans have since moved on to new projects, including the recently revived Beyond Good and Evil 2 and indie efforts like Bradley the Badger. Meanwhile, the Zelda franchise marches on toward its next hardware milestones, leaving us to wonder what an official Ubisoft take on Hyrule could have looked like in motion.
Tags: Nintendo, Ubisoft, The Legend of Zelda, Gaming News, Industry
Original article: Polygon