Mario + Rabbids creative director on Nintendo’s heavy involvement
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was a monumental game for a number of reasons. Perhaps most significantly, Nintendo allowed Ubisoft to use the Mario IP and its various characters.
Leading the way on the project was creative director Davide Soliani. Throughout development, Soliani and the rest of the team needed to work and collaborate with Nintendo to make sure everything was just right.
Speaking with GamesIndustry, Soliani said that Nintendo was “super picky”, adding that they “wanted to know everything, and play everything.” This was naturally a good thing given Nintendo’s history and ability to provide meaningful feedback.
Soliani said:
“You can totally say that. We established a very good relationship to the point where when we went to Japan for several days on a holiday, we would meet with the guys we work with from Nintendo, because we had become friends. But when it was about work, Nintendo were super picky. They wanted to know everything, and play everything. This was good, because it gives you a feeling that you are safe. They have over 125 years of lifetime, and they’re giving you feedback with the expectation of a certain level of quality. So for me, Nintendo is a shield. It means we know we’ll hit a certain level.”
