“It’s worth noting that the Mario + Rabbids team have largely disbanded,” said Dring. “Although Ubisoft Milan still exists, the people behind that game have gone and formed a new studio. I know they had pitched another title that didn’t get approved. I don’t know why, but it just never happened, which was again, I think, tied to Nintendo.”

The third game’s pitch being turned down and the team largely being disbanded might have led Ubisoft Milan to start working on a new Rayman game. Job listings were spotted back in May with Ubisoft Milan looking for a 3D gameplay animator and a senior game designer, indicating that the studio might be working on a new 3D title that would fall under the “Rayman brand”. While the listings have been taken down quickly by Ubisoft, they can be viewed on the Internet Archive.

“Ubisoft Milan is looking for a Senior Game Designer who will work on the Rayman brand,” said one of the listings. “The ideal candidate has a proven and solid experience as Game Designer in the videogame industry with an in-depth understanding of how to define, prototype and implement game systems within the scope of the project and following the Game direction, making sure to capture the gameplay feel, while still being fun and accessible.”

Outside of the Mario + Rabbids series, the Rayman brand has largely been dormant at Ubisoft. The Rabbids themselves were spun off from older Rayman titles where the characters first made their debut. However, a report from back in October indicates that Ubisoft might be looking at the Rayman series back in the form of a remake.

According to the report, a remake of one of the older Rayman titles is seemingly at work, involving developers that have worked on side-scrolling metroidvania title Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, alongside developers at Ubisoft Milan. Rumours also indicate that Rayman creator Michel Ancel is serving as a consultant on the project. However, there have been no details revealed yet about which Rayman game will be the subject of the remake.

Ubisoft confirmed that a new Rayman game might potentially be in the works through a statement shortly after the report came out. In its statement, Ubisoft said that its Montpellier and Milan studios have started “an exploration phase” on the Rayman brand. The company noted that the project was still in early development.

The last mainline games in the Rayman franchise were side-scrolling titles Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. Both titles were praised at the time for their art direction and gameplay. For more details, check out our reviews of Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends.

Speaking during a recent podcast episode, the leaker claimed that Ubisoft has “more than half a dozen” games in development for the Switch 2. These include ports of upcoming games, recent releases, and older titles. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will allegedly be available for the console within its launch window, while a version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also in development. However, the latter allegedly won’t be ready for release until later. 

The insider also claims Switch 2 versions of Rainbow Six Siege and The Division franchise are in development. The idea of a combined Mario + Rabbids pack containing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has also been internally considered. 

Past leaks have also claimed that Ubisoft also intends to release the next Far Cry for the Switch 2. 

Given the publisher’s support for the Switch, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an increase in efforts for its successor. The Switch 2 itself is allegedly going to be revealed later this week, so we might have more official details sooner rather than later. 

Meanwhile, as per NateTheHate, other major third-party titles like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are also headed for Nintendo’s next console. 

Co-founder Davide Soliani is best known for his work as the creative director on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and its sequel Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Prior to that, Soliani also worked on Beyond Good and Evil, the Rayman franchise, and more. He left Ubisoft earlier this year, in June.

Fellow co-founder Christian Cantamessa, meanwhile, served as co-writer and lead game designer on the original Red Dead Redemption, having previously also worked on Manhunt, Manhunt 2, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Later on, he would go on to work with first-party Xbox studio The Initiative in a consulting role on the upcoming Perfect Dark.

The duo are joined by fellow co-founders in executive producer Cristina Nava (Ghost Recon, Mario + Rabbids, Star Wars Outlaws), managing director Gian Marco Zanna (who was at Ubisoft for over 16 years until July earlier this year), and design director Luca Breda (who spent over 13 years at Ubisoft).

Details are currently scant on Day 4 Night’s first project, but the studio describes it as “an entirely original game”. The studio itself, meanwhile, says it is focused “on originality and innovation” and “committed to creating new content that pushes the boundaries of storytelling and game design.”

“When I first fell in love with video games at the start of my career, I saw the power of this new medium to tell stories never told before and create worlds that could transform people,” said Cantamessa. “Day 4 Night is a return to that innovative spirit, to that innocence, to that unbridled creativity.”

“What we are crafting at Day 4 Night is a reflection of everything I’ve ever wanted to experience as a player – joy, adventure, poetry, action, wonder, and the pleasure of working with friends,” said Soliani. “It’s a lullaby for my soul and a serenade to our industry, to the magic and the madness of creating worlds from nothing. It’s a story about triumphs, challenges, dreams, to light the path we walk together.”

“After 25 years, 11 of which beautifully spent working with Nintendo on Mario + Rabbids along the company of our incredible community of players, I have decided to leave Ubisoft to embark on a new adventure,” Soliani wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I can’t say more now. Thanks a lot for everything, truly.”

Ubisoft Milan, the lead developer of the Mario + Rabbids series, also confirmed Soliani’s departure on Twitter, writing, “After more than 20 years, Davide Soliani and Ubisoft Milan part ways, as friends. Davide and the teams at Ubisoft Milan still share the same quest — to make gamers have fun, scream with delight, and dream – but we will now be on a different path.”

“We hope that he will like what we will work on in the future, as we will definitely keep in mind his best teaching: surprise players with unexpected experiences,” the studio added.

In addition to serving as creative director on both Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Soliani has worked on a number of other titles during his tenure at Ubisoft, including Rainbow Six, Just Dance, Beyond Good and Evil, Open Season, and more. Soliani has yet to announce where he’ll be headed next after Ubisoft.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has now reached 10 million unique players since its launched in August 2017, which is up from the 7.5 million figure reported in June last year. Specific sales numbers for the turn-based tactics title remain unknown, but given its player numbers, they’re presumably in the same region.

Meanwhile, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle also has a sequel launching not launch from now, and Ubisoft and Nintendo will both be hoping it enjoys the same level of critical and commercial success. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is out for the Nintendo Switch on October 20.

https://twitter.com/MarioRabbids/status/1564286950642679808

Speaking in an interview with Multiplayer.it (via VGC), the game’s creative director Davide Soliani and producer Cristina Nava confirmed that while Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was developed by a team of over a hundred people, that development team has more than tripled in size to work on the upcoming sequel. On top of that, other Ubisoft studios are also providing support.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is in the works exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, and is due out some time in 2022, though a specific release date is yet to be announced.

As spotted by Figaro journalist Chloé Woitier on Twitter, in their press release regarding the recently announced Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft confirmed that to date, Kingdom Battle has been played by over 7.5 million players worldwide. This is not, of course, talking about sales, but rather player numbers- but it’s still an impressive accomplishment nonetheless.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Its sequel releases for the platform in 2022. Grant Kirkhope, composer of the first game, has also confirmed he’s returning for the sequel.

https://twitter.com/W_Chloe/status/1404016393398456321

Super Mario Party

The infamous ruiner of friendships debuts for the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Party takes the more traditional approach to the series’ formula, introducing new mini-games, some with motion controls, and a new mode called Partner Party where teams of two can work together. There’s even a mode called Toad’s Rec Room where multiple Switches can be combined for gameplay across multiple screens. Super Mario Party captures the amazing feeling of losing to never-ending nonsense, which may or may not be your definition of a good time.

Owlboy

D-Pad Studio’s Owlboy first released in 2016 following years and years of development. Its charming art-style and believable characterization meshed well with the quasi-Metroidvania platforming it had to offer. Playing as Otis and flying through the skies to battle pirates and learn the truth about the world may not have been revolutionary but it’s utterly amazing adventure all the same.

Nintendo isn’t usually known for discounting its high-profile exclusives on the Nintendo Switch. However, with the eShop’s new year’s sale going live until January 10th, Switch owners can get a number of great titles at fair discounts. This includes releases like Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler and Nintendo’s Splatoon 2.

Titles like Octopath Traveler, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2,and Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition can be yours for $42. This makes for a nice $18 off of their original asking prices. Other titles like Starlink: Battle for Atlas Digital Edition and Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 are also discounted to $29.99 and $44.99 respectively.

Even better is the deal on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Gold Edition. At $26.39, you get the base game and its Season Pass, the latter providing eight new solo challenges, five new co-op maps, and 16 new weapons. You even get to play with Donkey Kong in his own dedicated storyline in Donkey Kong Adventure. Considering the original asking price of $79.99, that’s a pretty good deal overall.