It has belatedly come to light that Ubisoft and Nintendo were once jointly preparing a new title set in The Legend of Zelda universe. The project was spearheaded by Ubisoft Milan, the studio behind the Mario + Rabbids series.
The story dates back to late 2022, around the time Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was released. Although it received favorable reviews from critics, sales fell short of expectations. Nevertheless, both Ubisoft and Nintendo were pleased with the game's long-term potential, and discussions for a follow-up collaboration began soon after.
Davide Soliani, who was the creative director of the series at the time, and his team did not want the project to be merely a third Mario + Rabbids installment. They worked on new ideas throughout the winter of 2022 and presented a finished pitch in early 2023. Internally codenamed 'Goliath,' the project was a new title set in the world of The Legend of Zelda. Rather than a sequel or a prequel, it aimed to be an entirely new spin-off.
In the early concept stage, the game was envisioned with players controlling a completely new, never-before-seen protagonist. However, Nintendo took the concept a step further, suggesting that Ganondorf—the arch-nemesis of Link and Princess Zelda, and widely considered the series' ultimate villain—be made the protagonist instead. Ubisoft Milan accepted the request, revised the concept, and restructured the project so that players would directly control Ganondorf.
The problem was time. Ubisoft Milan was given a deadline to complete a compelling prototype by late 2023, a crucial hurdle required to move the project to the next stage. However, in late November 2023, Nintendo ultimately rejected the prototype.
Even after the project collapsed, conversations reportedly did not break down immediately. Citing two internal sources, Insider Gaming, which broke the news, reported that proposals were made after Goliath's cancellation for Ubisoft Milan to develop other Nintendo IPs. Rumors circulated that another project utilizing the Star Fox or Mario universes was considered as a candidate. Ultimately, however, discussions between Nintendo and Ubisoft fell through.
With Project Goliath officially shut down, members of the Milan team were reassigned to various other projects within Ubisoft. Some developers were classified as having no assigned project. Ultimately, key team members including Soliani left Ubisoft in July 2024. Joining forces with veteran writer Christian Cantamessa, they established a new studio named 'Day 4 Night.'
Tom Henderson, who reported the story, revealed that he confirmed these facts during research for a book on canceled games that he had been investigating for over 18 months.
