Mario + Rabbids Director Davide Soliani Launches New Studio, Working On Original IP
With the help of former Red Dead Redemption lead designer
by Liam Doolan · Nintendo LifeBack in July, the Mario + Rabbids creative director Davide Soliani announced he would leave Ubisoft after 25 years, with 11 of those years dedicated to his Nintendo-exclusive series. Now, in an update, it’s been announced he’ll be opening a brand new studio called Day 4 Night alongside Red Dead Redemption’s lead designer and writer Christian Cantamessa (known for other projects like Perfect Dark and Shadow of Mordor).
This studio is receiving funding from Krafton and 1Up Ventures (led by former Xbox co-creator Ed Fries), with the duo also co-directing a new IP which is supported by a group of “award-winning multidisciplinary industry veterans” who have worked together for more than 15 years.
“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.”
Krafton mentions how this pitch stood out as “both original and creative”, with Fries also noting how it’s “easily the most creative things” the teams have seen in “some time”. Krafton recently acquired the Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks. Here’s a bit more about this new studio:
“Day 4 Night is an independent game development studio focused on delivering deeply heartfelt and original games that innovate in storytelling and design. With an international footprint, it has offices in both Los Angeles, California and Milan, Italy. It’s currently working on its first original IP.”
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When we learn more about this new "original IP", we'll let you know.
[source d4nstudios.com, via nintendoeverything.com]
Related Games
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Switch)
• Red Dead Redemption (Switch)
See Also
• 50 Best Nintendo Switch Games To Play Right Now (2024)
About Liam Doolan
Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. He's also got a soft spot for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Comments 27
Korea is getting pretty agressive with the console gaming space lately.
I guess that Kivotos and Ark money is really helping with expansion plans
Leaving Ubisucks? Color me surprised. I guess they need to become comfortable not having their talents.
Original and creative huh, well then I hope they make an amazing game that we can all enjoy.
Congrats to him for escaping the literal depths of hell.
I hope that the studio and Soliani can work with Nintendo again one day, but regardless, I can't wait to see what they're cooking up.
Also that logo is badass.
Better to break off and go indie than wait an eternity for Ubi to even consider the idea of greenlighting a new mainline Rayman game for them to work on.
Those are some lofty words for sure. But can't blame him for being creatively ecstatic after escaping the soulless Ubislop mines.
Wish them all the luck and looking forward to see what they cook up.
@Samalik would rather Korea than China
Well, good for him, but I'm disappointed he didn't get snatched up by Nintendo after his stellar work. And that he didn't get to revive Rayman like he talked about wanting to do. Maybe Ubisoft can outsource Rayman to him like Microsoft supposedly is to Toys For Bob to make a new Spyro game. Not getting my hopes up though.
@Lightsiyd if it is a game without ubisofts season passes or hundreds of dlc.
I might buy 2.
- 10
- HammerGalladeBro
- 4:26am
I'll be there for sure if it doesn't disrespect my time on the first boot-up with corporate BS like Sparks of Hope did.
Well that is most certainly quite a loss of talent and care for Ubisoft!
- 12
- Deviant-Dork
- 5:08am
That's great news! Can't wait to see what they create!
- 13
- Deviant-Dork
- 5:10am
@kfflscnt at least Ubisoft games go on sale for like 40-50% off a couple months after they release so you can get them cheap. Haha
Glad Soliani got out of the sinking ship that is Ubisoft just in time.
- 15
- TYRANACLES
- 5:21am
Good for him. He has a pretty good track record and a red dead lead is only going to help.
- 16
- Poodlestargenerica
- 5:22am
I hear new IP, I get excited. From the makers of other good games? Even better.
I had a feeling this was the move. Good for him.
I was pretty confident he was going to land a job at Nintendo, but this is great. I hope he can really deliver something special.
- 19
- Serpenterror
- 5:55am
Glad that they are finally free from UbiSoft's shackles. Looking forward to their many projects in the future.
The logo looks great. It reminds me of Ghibli and Kojima Productions. Hopefully he pulls in Grant Kirkhope too.
Here’s hoping it goes well… developers leaving to set up their own studio has a mixed track record…
- 22
- JohnnyMind
- 9:53am
Interesting, wish the best to Soliani and co. in this endeavor and I'm so looking forward to seeing what they'll come up with!
- 23
- The-Chosen-one
- 10:38am
The work with Mario rabbids sparks. Was/is a masterpiece. Love that game to bids.
Cant wait to see what you new company will bring!
He always seemed so genuine whenever I saw him talking about the Mario + Rabbids games. Love to see that level of passion and am very excited for his next work.
Excited to see what this new team cooks up! One thing I hope they've learned from other indie studios is the ability to stay within their constraints. A passion project is great...but when it leaves the studio vulnerable to closure and layoffs because a game they bet everything on didn't sell a bajillion copies, that's not good for them or the industry. Aiming for too much can also result in a lack of quality control, resulting in a lot of great ideas that are poorly executed. The Shovel Knight team is a great example of a team staying within their limits and executing their vision well. Anyhoo, excited for this new studio and wish them the best of luck!
- 26
- PinderSchloss
- 2:23pm
That’s a darn good pitch!
I couldn’t care less about Mario and the Rabbids in those games, but the gameplay got me into strategy RPG’s where a lot had failed before. So I’m definitely hoping some of those strategic elements will still be in there somewhere.
Wish him all the best in his future projects! Ubisoft very clearly didn't deserve him!
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