Could Nintendo’s most sinister villain have headlined his own tactical adventure? Fresh investigative reporting reveals that the Ubisoft Mario Rabbids development team at Ubisoft Milan spent much of 2023 assembling an ambitious pitch for The Legend of Zelda, aiming to cast the franchise’s primary antagonist as a playable hero under the internal codename Project Goliath [3]. Nintendo rejected the prototype. The sudden cancellation in November 2023 effectively concluded months of collaborative discussions between the two publishers [1].
Ubisoft Mario Rabbids Team Conceives Project Goliath
Work on the pitch began shortly after the worldwide launch of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope in late 2022 [1]. Although the turn-based strategy sequel garnered widespread critical acclaim, securing a sparkling 9/10 review score from IGN, commercial performance remained modest compared to the commercial returns of its 2017 predecessor [3]. Davide Soliani wanted greater scope. Despite softer commercial returns for the turn-based sequel, Nintendo leadership remained receptive to further creative pitches from the Ubisoft Mario Rabbids developers, prompting studio co-founder Soliani to formulate an ambitious standalone concept set within Nintendo’s legendary fantasy universe [1].
Ubisoft Milan spent the ensuing winter crafting what creative leads deemed the ideal presentation for an original spin-off game codenamed Project Goliath [1]. Rather than tracing Link across the wilds of Hyrule, Ubisoft Milan planned an expansive narrative exploration centered around a brand-new protagonist who had never previously appeared in franchise history. Former Ubisoft developer Gian Marco Zanna later characterized the underlying creative ambition to Italian outlet Multiplayer.it as a “new big bang in the video game universe”. Tom Henderson verified the pitch [3].
Nintendo welcomed the initial presentation [4]. Japanese executives met with Ubisoft Milan in early 2023 to evaluate the concept, demonstrating an openness to external pitches that had previously produced bespoke collaborations like Cadence of Hyrule. Nintendo had previously entrusted remakes of Donkey Kong and Star Fox to external partners such as Forever Entertainment and Velan Studios (demonstrating growing institutional comfort with outside production houses). Both publishers agreed that Ubisoft Milan should deliver a playable proof of concept before the close of 2023 [2].
Nintendo Requests Ganondorf for the Prototype
During preliminary review discussions, Nintendo management presented a surprising counterproposal that fundamentally redirected the creative scope of Project Goliath [1]. Executives asked Ubisoft Milan to discard their original protagonist and install Link’s immortal adversary, Ganondorf, as the central playable lead. Ganondorf had never starred before [3]. The iconic villain had anchored mainline conflicts since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, making a dedicated spin-off an unprecedented conceptual departure. Following the acclaim of the Ubisoft Mario Rabbids duology, allowing Ganondorf to anchor a tactical adventure seemed like a logical creative progression [1].
Nintendo set a late 2023 deadline [2]. Soliani directed a small, specialized team at Ubisoft Milan through intensive prototyping phases across spring and autumn, experimenting with mechanics tailored to Ganondorf’s formidable sorcery and physical dominance within tactical combat arenas [4]. The Italian studio sought to demonstrate that the dark lord could sustain an engaging heroic campaign without diluting his menacing persona. IGN drew a comparison to rare, canceled industry experiments, noting concept artist Ken Christiansen’s unreleased Disney brawler where classic antagonists like Captain Hook, John Silver, and the Sheriff of Nottingham faced off in 2v2 tactical battles [3]. Soliani met the milestone. Developers completed their functional vertical slice on schedule, assembling custom combat encounters and cinematic sequences for the Japanese platform holder [2].
The initiative coincided with Nintendo’s growing willingness to foreground unconventional leads, highlighted when Princess Zelda herself starred in an official spin-off adventure [5]. Allowing Ganondorf to headline a standalone tactical project promised an unprecedented narrative angle for longtime followers of the franchise [3]. Soliani scheduled the formal review in Kyoto for November 2023 [1].
Mario Rabbids Ubisoft Talks Collapse After Rejection
November 2023 brought cancellation. Soliani presented the prototype to Nintendo executives, who evaluated the vertical slice and abruptly rejected the project without public explanation [1].
The specific technical, creative, or commercial factors behind Nintendo’s negative verdict remain undisclosed, leaving Milanese developers who dedicated months of intensive labor without answers. The creative team behind Ubisoft Mario Rabbids believed the vertical slice proved their vision. Seeking to salvage their collaborative momentum, Ubisoft representatives promptly proposed alternative intellectual properties, floating concepts for a new Star Fox title or an additional Mario spin-off. Between late 2023 and early 2024, institutional dialogue between the French publisher and Kyoto headquarters deteriorated steadily until all collaborative conversations ground to an absolute halt [1]. Their seven-year partnership had fractured [4].
When approached regarding Project Goliath, Ubisoft offered a standard corporate reply. A company spokesperson stated, “We do not comment on rumours or speculation,” while Nintendo representatives declined to provide public clarification [2]. With Goliath abandoned, Ubisoft management reassigned Milanese production staff across wider European branches to assist on existing catalog titles [1]. Tom Henderson independently corroborated the breakdown [3].
Davide Soliani Leaves to Form Day 4 Night
The collapse of Project Goliath triggered substantial leadership turnover inside Ubisoft Milan during mid-2024, ending an era defined by unexpected creative risks [4]. In July 2024, Davide Soliani officially resigned from Ubisoft together with senior producer Cristina Nava and lead designer Gian Marco Zanna after dedicating a quarter-century of creative leadership to the French publisher [2]. Soliani had spent 25 years at Ubisoft. He famously wept on stage with Shigeru Miyamoto during E3 2017 when unveiling Kingdom Battle to the gaming world [1]. Zanna later confirmed to Multiplayer.it that their joint resignation resulted directly from an ambitious, Soliani-led project failing to reach production [2].
The veteran trio established Day 4 Night. Operating independently out of Milan, the new startup announced its debut intellectual property, a stylized platformer titled Bradley the Badger [2]. Soliani expressed enthusiasm for building original worlds unfettered by licensed brand guidelines or corporate approval bottlenecks. Their departure nonetheless deprived Ubisoft Milan of its most experienced creative figureheads following their work on the Ubisoft Mario Rabbids series [4].
Following the departure of its leadership core, Ubisoft Milan pivoted toward legacy franchises within the French publisher’s proprietary catalog. The Italian studio entered a formal co-development partnership with Ubisoft Montpellier to assist with Rayman Legends Untold. That platforming production redirected technical talent toward established European properties rather than third-party console exclusives [1]. Meanwhile, the proprietary mechanics engineered during the Ganondorf prototyping phase remain shelved inside corporate archives [3]. Nintendo work stopped [4].
Does Ubisoft Own Mario Franchise Rights?
The high-profile partnership between Nintendo and Ubisoft often prompted casual observers to ask whether the French publisher held any proprietary rights over Mario or associated characters [5]. In reality, Nintendo retains complete, exclusive ownership over every character, trademark, and universe involved in crossover productions [2]. Ubisoft operated strictly as a licensed external developer under commercial contracts for the Ubisoft Mario Rabbids series (spanning both mainline releases and character spin-offs), including Kingdom Battle and Sparks of Hope. Every design document, comedic animation, and marketing beat required formal authorization from Nintendo’s licensing department in Kyoto [1].
External development partnerships have expanded significantly across recent console generations. Nintendo previously entrusted Cadence of Hyrule to indie studio Brace Yourself Games, while commissioning Forever Entertainment and Velan Studios for specialized remakes across original Switch hardware. The broader franchise has since seen official updates, as detailed in our coverage of the Nintendo Zelda Direct presentation for the Ocarina remake [2]. Nintendo guarded Ganondorf with care. Entrusting the central antagonist to an external development house represented a philosophical barrier Japanese executives chose not to cross [3].
Whether Nintendo will ever reconsider permitting Ganondorf to headline a standalone video game remains an open question across the gaming industry, especially as players continue celebrating daring revisions to established franchise formulas [1]. Project Goliath proved that internal studio producers actively entertain daring creative variations, even if executive caution ultimately halts production during the prototype stage at corporate headquarters [3]. For now, Ganondorf remains cast in his traditional role as Hyrule’s premier nemesis across upcoming hardware cycles [1]. Goliath remains locked away [3].
- ONLINE NEWS Wales, M. (2026, September 25). A Ubisoft Zelda game? The Mario + Rabbids team reportedly came close to making one with a surprising lead character, but Nintendo pulled the plug. Eurogamer. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS McCrae, S. (2026, September 25). Ubisoft was reportedly working on a new Legend of Zelda game starring Ganondorf, only for Nintendo to shoot it down. GamesRadar+. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Glaze, V. (2026, September 24). Ganon was almost the protagonist of a canceled Ubisoft Zelda spin-off game. IGN. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Zwiezen, Z. (2026, September 24). Ubisoft was reportedly working on a Legend of Zelda spin-off starring Ganondorf. Kotaku. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Yoerider. (2026, September 25). Rumor: Ubisoft prototyped a Legend of Zelda spin-off starring Ganondorf, but it was canned by Nintendo. NintendoSoup. [Article Link]
