The beautiful thing about the gaming industry is that you never know what’s going to happen until it happens sometimes, and the results can be truly mind-blowing. For example, in 2017, rumors were being spread about a title called Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a wacky crossover between Nintendo and Ubisoft’s beloved franchises. A massive leak dropped before E3 2017, and fans were convinced it was fake due to it being “too far away” from what Mario and the Rabbids were known to do. Yet, at E3 2017, a trailer and demo were shown, and fans’ jaws dropped at how incredible it looked.
The game was a massive hit on Nintendo Switch when it arrived a few months later and sparked, pun intended, a sequel in 2022. However, since then, things have changed significantly. First and foremost, Ubisoft “wasn’t happy” with the sequel’s sales figures, even though it was clearly a success. Second, the series creator, David Soliani, soon left Ubisoft to start Day 4 Night, an indie team with fellow creators who wanted to do something different.
In an interview with VGC, Soliani talked about why he left Ubisoft, which he considered a dream job at one time:
“The reason I left is not because I was trying to get away from Ubisoft for any specific reason, but because I was searching for something that I couldn’t find there… something that we’re now creating together here. So I have no grudge or disappointment with Ubisoft. I still have a lot of people there in Paris, Milan, Chengdu, and all the people that I know are very dear to me and that I love.”
Many on his new team worked on the Mario + Rabbid titles, and Soliani quickly praised Nintendo and noted that he truly enjoyed working for them on the games. To that end, he said that if Nintendo were to ask for a project with him, he would answer their call:
“My new company is an indie studio, so if one day Nintendo wants to knock on our door, I think that me and Christian are going to answer.”
Given that the Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way, it’s very possible that Soliani could be called upon again in some capacity. Granted, since he’s not working with Ubisoft any more, the Rabbids and Mario crossover may be off the table. However, given the man’s creativity and ability to make things that no one expected, that could be a boon to other Nintendo franchises or to truly original creations.
