Zanna made it clear it wasn\u2019t because of a falling-out with Ubisoft. If circumstances had been different, Zanna suggested, they might in fact still be\u00a0at Ubisoft\u00a0today. Instead, Zanna suggested that the fate of one project, led by Soliani himself, drove their decision to leave. The entire Milan team rallied behind it, and people familiar with its development believed it could have elevated Ubisoft Milan to one of Ubisoft\u2019s flagship studios. It was a project that the entire team was confident in, and a project so ambitious that, in Zanna\u2019s own words from that interview, \u201cDavide didn\u2019t want to aim for the sun; he wanted to aim for the entire universe; he wanted to create a new big bang in the video game universe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s late 2022, and Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope has just been released to generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. Sales aren\u2019t the best, but both Ubisoft and Nintendo were\u00a0pleased with the game\u2019s reception and long-term sales potential.\u00a0Discussions between Nintendo and Ubisoft Milan about their next collaboration began soon after, according to sources familiar with the discussions. This time, however, Milan\u2019s ambitions extended beyond just a third Mario + Rabbids game.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fast forward a few months: Soliani and a small team worked tirelessly on the new idea throughout the winter, and in early 2023, Ubisoft Milan finally had what they deemed\u00a0the perfect pitch. Internally, the project was known as Goliath, a name that reflected the scale of what Ubisoft Milan aimed to\u00a0develop: a new game set in the world of The Legend of Zelda.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of a sequel or prequel, the\u00a0game\u00a0was set to be a new spinoff in the Zelda universe, with the player controlling a new, never-before-seen protagonist. That later changed during the concept phase to have the player control Ganondorf, the archenemy of Link and Zelda.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ubisoft Milan had\u00a0until around the\u00a0end of 2023\u00a0to deliver a compelling prototype, sources said, which was a deadline set\u00a0to get the game past\u00a0its next greenlight. In late November 2023, however, Nintendo\u00a0rejected the prototype, according to sources familiar with the project, but the reasons for the decision remain unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to two developers privy to high-level talks after Goliath\u2019s cancellation, a proposal emerged that Milan begin developing a different Nintendo IP. Internal rumors at the studio suggested that games including Star Fox, or even another game set in the Mario universe, were in the running, but between late 2023 and early 2024, conversations between Nintendo and Ubisoft began to break down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following the project\u2019s cancellation, the Milan team was split up and put into different projects across Ubisoft\u2019s portfolio,\u00a0with other\u00a0developers in the team being put on \u2018availability \u2019-a\u00a0term used for developers who have no assigned project.\u00a0Some developers\u00a0in\u00a0higher-up\u00a0positions were assigned to Beyond Good & Evil 2, a project that has seen countless reboots and issues in its\u00a0nearly\u00a020-year development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soliani, Cristina Nava, and Gian Marco Zanna left Ubisoft in July 2024, forming Day 4 Night with Christian Cantamessa, a veteran developer whose credits include\u00a0Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,\u00a0Red Dead Redemption,\u00a0and\u00a0Forza Horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Day 4 Night was announced in October 2024, with development on its first game, Bradley the Badger, already underway. The game would eventually be revealed at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025.\u00a0Several other developers from Ubisoft Milan would later join Day 4 Night<\/a> after RTO mandates and a lack of job security.<\/p>\n Ubisoft was contacted for comment before this article\u2019s publication, but did not comment in time. However, Ubisoft has previously acknowledged internally that a journalist was seeking information about Goliath.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a developer with an interesting story to share about a canceled video game, you can contact me securely and anonymously at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n
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