By: Max Cannon
In a reliable rumor that no one saw coming, Nintendo is supposedly planning to release a Ubisoft crossover that may be titled Mario x Rabbids Kingdom Come.
The Game We've All Been Waiting For
Now I'll be honest, this rumor seems really, really weird. However, it comes from Kotaku's Jason Schreier and I would say that he's one of the most trusted names in Games Media. Kotaku received leaked assets which could've been anything from promotional materials, in-game screenshots, or actual files from the game, though the leaker of said assets asked to remain anonymous and not have the materials posted online.
Mario and Rabbids, two franchises that probably won't mesh well.Courtesy of Kotaku
Here's a bit of what Kotaku had to say:
"Although the person who sent the assets asked us not to share them, they corroborate the existence of a bizarre crossover RPG that’s currently scheduled to come to Switch in either August or September. Ubisoft is developing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle on the publisher’s proprietary Snowdrop engine, according to the assets we’ve seen.The game’s selling points appear to be a) turn-based combat, b) two-player local co-op, and c) a goofy sense of humor. (The art we’ve seen features Mario and crew wielding guns that shoot laser beams.)
The game will apparently have eight playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, and, bizarrely, four Rabbids dressed up as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Peach."
After the initial posting, the article was updated with this.
"Apparently the French website GameBlog was actually first to report on this game, calling it “a Yoshi / Rabbid Rabbits crossover” in this wild collection of rumors."
The 2D style of Rabbids in Rabbid TV Party will always be my favorite.Courtesy of IGN
Nintendo and Rabbid's Partnership
The level of oddness here cannot be understated. But Nintendo and Ubisoft have had a specific partnership based in the Rabbids world since the Wii days. For those that don't remember, their first introduction was in the game Rayman Raving Rabbids. That game was initially a more traditional 3D Rayman platformer. After seeing the possibility of the Wii, Rayman's creator, Michel Ancel, totally revamped the game to be a mini-game focused title -- completely scrapping what they'd had before. The old, unused gameplay was shown off in this trailer below.
Rayman Raving Rabbids Original Trailer
Since then the Rabbids brand grew, without as much focus on Rayman, and developed a close relationship with Nintendo. Following games would be released exclusively on the Wii and now the Rabbids brand has grown so large that they had their very own Nickelodeon TV show. It's a brand that just keeps on growing and through their close history with Nintendo, a crossover like this was sort of inevitable, even if it still feels really odd.
That said my love of Rayman is endless so maybe we'll see some more of my beloved hero. A new game? A new 3D game? Maybe in Smash Bros? I'll take anything that I can get.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is rumored for a late Summer or early Fall release if the game is real.
Have Your Say!
Thoughts on this possible new game? Are you a Rayman fan? Comment below!
