Report: Ubisoft Was Developing an Official Legend of Zelda Game

Following a fruitful partnership spanning the 2010s and early 2020s—which brought gamers the acclaimed 2017 crossover tactical RPG Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle alongside its 2022 successor—Ubisoft and Nintendo nearly collaborated on an even bolder venture. Fresh insights reveal that Ubisoft Milan had been quietly developing a brand-new spinoff within The Legend of Zelda universe before Nintendo ultimately decided to scrap the initiative.

According to Insider Gaming, the masterminds behind the Mario + Rabbids series pitched Nintendo on an ambitious concept: an original narrative centered around a completely unfamiliar protagonist. Codenamed “Goliath”—a moniker chosen to signify the sheer scale of the intended experience—the venture initially received a green light from Nintendo. However, executives requested a major creative pivot, asking Ubisoft to make the iconic antagonist Ganondorf the central playable character instead. While Ganondorf remains as vital to the franchise’s lore as Link and Princess Zelda, playable opportunities for the villain have historically been restricted to crossover titles like Hyrule Warriors and the Super Smash Bros. franchise.

Ubisoft Milan dedicated a full year to crafting a playable prototype based on these adjusted parameters, only for Nintendo to decline the build in November. While precise justifications for the cancellation remain undisclosed, the exact nature and mechanics of the prototype are similarly shrouded in mystery.

Ubisoft Milan sought to expand collaborations across Nintendo properties

Following the termination of the Ganondorf project, Ubisoft Milan quickly attempted to pivot its creative momentum. Reports indicate the studio pitched alternative collaborations centered around treasured Nintendo intellectual properties, including fresh concepts featuring Mario characters alongside a distinct Star Fox proposition. (Nintendo ultimately released its own installment in the Star Fox franchise following the character’s cinematic appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.)

Nevertheless, professional dialogues between Nintendo and Ubisoft steadily deteriorated throughout late 2023 and early 2024, leaving the exact catalyst for the fallout unclear. Consequently, the development team at Ubisoft Milan was decentralized; while some engineers transitioned to work on the long-awaited Beyond Good and Evil 2—which has recently shown encouraging signs of active development—others departed to establish an independent studio, Day 4 Night, currently steering the upcoming title Bradley the Badger.

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This historical misfire is hardly the first time Nintendo has discarded an experimental Zelda spinoff. Decades prior, Metroid Prime studio Retro Studios attempted to build an original venture starring Sheik that explored the primordial origins of the Master Sword, a concept famously characterized by participating developers as an ambitious experiment gone wrong.

While enthusiasts may not experience a villain-led Ganondorf campaign anytime soon, the overarching franchise shows no signs of slowing down. A definitive modern remake of the Nintendo 64 masterwork, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is scheduled to arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2 on Nov. 5.

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Source: Polygon