A new report reveals that Nintendo was once collaborating with Ubisoft on a new Legend of Zelda spin-off game that would have featured Ganondorf as the main playable character. The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular video game franchises in the world, and so it’s enjoyed all kinds of unique spin-offs alongside its core, main series entries. Oftentimes, the Zelda spin-off games feature playable characters besides just Link.
Link is still the star of some Zelda spin-offs, like Link’s Crossbow Training, but games like Hyrule Warriors feature a huge cast of playable characters. And then there are games like the various Tingle-based titles that were released for the Nintendo DS back in the day. There have been times when Link has taken a back seat in the main Zelda titles, too, like how Zelda herself was featured as the main playable character in 2024’s The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. As it turns out, there were once plans to make a Zelda spin-off starring longtime villain Ganondorf as well, but it was ultimately canceled by Nintendo.
Nintendo and Ubisoft Were Working on a Ganondorf Game
The canceled Zelda game starring Ganondorf was reportedly in development at Ubisoft Milan. According to Insider Gaming, the canceled Zelda game was initially pitched as starring a brand-new character, but Nintendo asked for Ganondorf to be put in the lead role instead. Unfortunately, Nintendo rejected the prototype Ubisoft Milan built for the game, and so the project was ultimately canceled. More details on what exactly the game would have been like are unavailable at this time, but perhaps more information will come to light later on.
While Ubisoft Milan’s Zelda game starring Ganondorf has been canceled, there is still hope that the character will appear in a game of his own at some point in the future. According to recent leaks and rumors, a new 2D Zelda game is set to release in 2027 that will indeed star Ganondorf. This project has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, but since Nintendo itself was the one that pushed for Ganondorf to be in the Ubisoft game, it would make sense that it would look to explore the concept elsewhere.
Some Nintendo fans may not buy that Nintendo would team up with Ubisoft to make a Zelda game, but it has forged similar deals in the past. As a matter of fact, Nintendo teamed up with Capcom to make the Game Boy Color Zelda games, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Nintendo has also teamed up with Koei Tecmo to make the Hyrule Warriors games over the years, so it’s clearly not opposed to letting other companies make Zelda games. Beyond that, Nintendo and Ubisoft have long been friendly, with Ubisoft often supporting new Nintendo consoles aggressively at their launch and even being trusted with the Super Mario IP to make the Mario + Rabbids games.
As far as confirmed future Zelda video game projects go, all we know about for sure is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for the Nintendo Switch 2. The Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is set to launch on November 5, and so fans can look forward to that while they wait on more information about future Zelda projects.
- Released
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November 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
