Nintendo Reportedly Canceled A Ubisoft-Developed Zelda Game Starring Ganondorf

According to a report from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Ubisoft Milan was developing an ambitious Legend of Zelda spin-off title internally called “Goliath” that was ultimately rejected by Nintendo in late 2023.

The project began with a concept featuring an original protagonist, but Nintendo’s leadership reportedly approved the concept and requested that the developers replace the character with Ganondorf, one of the franchise’s most iconic villains. This would have marked the first time outside the Super Smash Bros. series that Ganondorf appeared as a playable protagonist in a Legend of Zelda game.

Former Ubisoft developer Gian Marco Zanna described the ambitious vision as a “new big bang in the video game universe,” suggesting the game would have significantly diverged from traditional Zelda gameplay and themes. However, after Nintendo reviewed the prototype, the publisher rejected the project entirely, ending what could have been a landmark crossover between Nintendo and Ubisoft.

Henderson’s reporting is based on investigations conducted over 18 months for a forthcoming book about canceled video games. He claims to have independently corroborated the story with multiple sources familiar with the project. Goliath represents one of several previously unreported canceled projects uncovered during his extensive research.

Nintendo Reportedly Canceled A Ubisoft-Developed Zelda Game Starring Ganondorf

Sources