Nintendo Canceled Ubisoft Zelda Spinoff Starring Ganondorf Named Goliath

Ubisoft Milan spent months developing an ambitious Zelda spinoff codenamed Goliath before Nintendo rejected the prototype in late 2023, according to reports. The project, which originated following the release of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, initially featured a new protagonist before shifting during early design phases to center on longtime series villain Ganondorf. Had development continued, the title would have marked the first time players controlled Ganondorf directly outside of Nintendo's crossover fighting franchise, Super Smash Bros.

The project was spearheaded by director Davide Soliani and a small team at Ubisoft Milan, who worked through the winter of 2022 and 2023 to secure a greenlight. Internal expectations at the studio ran high, with veteran staff viewing the concept as a major expansion of the developer's creative scope. However, Nintendo formally turned down the prototype in November 2023. Specific justifications for the cancellation have not been disclosed by either publisher.

The creators of the Mario and Rabbids franchise together with the lead designer of Red Dead Redemption established a new independent studio titled Day 4 Night. The gameplay of the underlying series incorporates faster swimming, fully voiced cutscenes, motion control aiming, button-based jumping, and item scrolling comparable to Breath of the Wild.

Following the rejection of the Goliath prototype, Ubisoft attempted to salvage its collaborative partnership with Nintendo by proposing alternative intellectual properties. Internal studio discussions pointed toward potential projects involving the Star Fox franchise or additional Mario titles, but those talks broke down between late 2023 and early 2024.

The cancellation of the Zelda spinoff triggered structural upheaval within the Milan studio. Ubisoft divided the development team across various internal company portfolios, assigning some higher-level staff to long-delayed projects such as Beyond Good & Evil 2 while placing others on temporary availability status with no assigned duties. These operational shifts preceded the departure of key studio leaders, including Davide Soliani, Cristina Nava, and Gian Marco Zanna, who exited Ubisoft in July 2024.

The departed Ubisoft Milan veterans subsequently joined forces with industry veteran Christian Cantamessa to establish an independent studio named Day 4 Night. Announced in October 2024, the new studio began production on its debut intellectual property, Bradley the Badger, with several additional former Ubisoft Milan developers joining later amid return-to-office mandates and job security concerns.

The canceled Goliath project joins a historical list of unreleased Zelda spinoff initiatives, echoing previous reports regarding Retro Studios' aborted Sheik-focused project during the Nintendo Wii era. Meanwhile, Nintendo continues its active release schedule for the franchise, with a Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time slated to launch on November 5.