GameCenter - November 2017 - 50

on 1
with

PARTING SHOTS

DAVIDE SOLIANI
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MARIO + RABBIDS: KINGDOM BATTLE

WGC: How did the idea of bringing together
Mario and the Rabbids come about?
Davide Soliani: It stemmed from the contrast
between the Mario universe and the Rabbids
universe, and we wanted to embrace that
contrast because it allowed us to brainstorm
about new game mechanics, new humor, new
music and new visuals. It was really a source
of energy to come up with something new,
and from the beginning we knew that if we
were to present something to Nintendo, it
had to be something they themselves already
weren't doing, otherwise there was no point.
We wanted to surprise them. And since we
are fans of tactical games, we thought it'd be
interesting to do something turn-based and
refresh the genre, not revolutionize it.

"From the very
beginning, we said we
must collaborate with
Nintendo because the
whole idea was born
from mixing the Mario
and Rabbids universes
together."

VITAL SIGNS
OCCUPATION
CRE ATIVE DIREC TOR, UBISOF T MIL AN
GAME HIGHLIGHT S
JUS T DANCE 2014, JUS T DANCE 4

WGC: Was this something you were working
on already and wanted to bring Mario in, or
did you want to collaborate with Nintendo
from the beginning?
DS: From the very beginning, we said we must
collaborate with Nintendo because the whole
idea was born from mixing the Mario and Rabbids universes together. Five different designers and myself locked ourselves in a room for
three weeks, and we came up with 13 different
ideas, and we scratched them off one after the
other until we arrived at the game we have
today. Of course, it's a bit more complicated
now compared to when we started, but yes, it
was Mario and Rabbids from the start.
WGC: What pressure was on the dev team to
make sure you got Mario, another company's mascot, right?
DS: It's not just one, but two major companies

ideo games have featured some odd
partnerships throughout the years,
but none more so than Nintendo's
mascot Mario and Ubisoft's comically
mischievous Rabbids. Mario + Rabbids:
Kingdom Battle was easily the biggest surprise
of the summer as the tactics-based gameplay
showed both franchises in a fun new light.
We sat down with Davide Soliani, the game's
creative director, to learn more.
looking at what you're producing, and of course
the pressure was very high, but the team itself
was already feeling the pressure because they
were so passionate about pitching something
completely new. We had a lot of respect for the
Nintendo universe, we are Nintendo players,
so we treated Mario like he was our own and I
believe Nintendo perceived our respect for the
character as well as the team's commitment and
that's why the collaboration worked. That being
said, every time we sent them a new build or
made a new presentation, of course the pressure was incredible. When I presented the game
to Miyamoto-san, the man who inspired my entire career, I was in shock in a way. But I always
tried to keep my cool because I had to present
for Ubisoft. If it had just been me, I'd have probably asked for [an] autograph. [Laughs]
WGC: What are you and the team most
proud of with this game?
DS: It's a mix of elements. First is the accessibility. Second is we renewed the world of the
Rabbids. We felt it was time to detach from
the past and do something completely new
with them. New visuals, new world and plenty
of surprises the players will find later on. So, I
think it's just the overall package of all those
elements coming together that made the
team most proud, especially after E3. Before
E3, everyone was passionate and committed to making the best experience we could
provide, but at E3, when we finally got to see
the positive player reaction to what we were
doing, it was amazing because we were a little
unsure up until that point. And after E3, it was
like a whole new team, everyone's spirits were
lifted up. Players sometimes do not realize
how much power they have because those
reactions translate into energy and the team
used that to keep going.
WGC: If you had a Rabbid version of yourself in the game, what would its personality
and abilities be?
DS: My special ability would be crying, I guess.
[Laughs] And you wouldn't shoot at me out of
pity. But in the game, I guess I would be some
sort of tank. A tank that cries.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GameCenter - November 2017