Back 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.”