Ubisoft Milan pitched a Zelda spin-off project starring Ganondorf to Nintendo after completing Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, according to an Insider Gaming report from September 2026.
- Codenamed Goliath and led by creative director Davide Soliani, the prototype featured Ganondorf as the main playable protagonist.
- Nintendo rejected the project in late November 2023.
- Ubisoft Milan subsequently pitched new concepts involving Star Fox and Mario, which also did not move forward.
- The breakdown in talks between late 2023 and early 2024 resulted in key developers leaving the studio.
Project Origin
Discussions for a new collaboration between Ubisoft Milan and Nintendo began in 2022 following the performance of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The initial concept proposed by the development team was an original Zelda spin-off featuring an entirely new protagonist. Nintendo reviewed this initial proposal and requested a specific creative shift. Company executives asked the studio to place the series antagonist, Ganondorf, in the central role of the lead character.
