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.
That’s according to a new report from Insider Gaming, which claims Ubisoft Milan began working on the pitch in 2022, shortly after the launch of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Despite the Mario-themed turn-based strategy sequel’s modest sales, it’s said Nintendo and Ubisoft Milan began discussing another potential collaboration soon after.
According to “sources familiar with the discussions”, Mario + Rabbids co-creator Davide Soliani had considerably greater ambitions this time around, and Ubisoft Milan spent the winter developing “what they deemed the perfect pitch” for Project Goliath – a new The Legend of Zelda spin-off that was to star a brand-new character as its protagonist.
Supposedly, Nintendo liked the concept but asked the team to replace their own character with Link’s archnemesis, Ganondorf. Work continued, but in November 2023, Nintendo reportedly rejected Ubisoft Milan’s prototype, turning the project into a what-could-have-been. As to why Nintendo ultimately said no, the reasons behind the decision “remain unclear”.
After that, another project based on a Nintendo IP was supposedly discussed – rumours ranged from a new Star Fox game to another Mario spin-off – but “between late 2023 and early 2024, conversations between Nintendo and Ubisoft began to break down.” With the project dead, members of the team were reportedly dispersed across the wider company to work on other things, and Davide Soliani – a 25-year Ubisoft veteran at that point – made the decision to leave the publisher and establish his own studio, Day 4 Night.
Since then, Ubisoft Milan has been collaborating with Ubisoft Montpellier on the promising Rayman Legends Untold. As for Ganondorf, his dreams of starring in his own Zelda spin-off have yet to be fulfilled, but perhaps it’s an idea Nintendo might choose to revisit in some other place and time.
