Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and the crazy ideas that almost changed everything

When Nintendo and Ubisoft announced Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle , many considered it a crazy idea that somehow worked. Combining Mario characters with the mischievous Rabbids seemed unlikely, but it ended up being one of the most successful turn-based strategy games on the Nintendo Switch .

The surprising thing is that the final result bears almost no resemblance to the original ideas. According to creative director Davide Soliani, the team considered more than a dozen radically different concepts before settling on the turn-based strategy.

Among the rejected proposals were music games and even first-person shooters . Imagine Rabbids shooting giant mushrooms, Call of Duty style: fun, strange, and totally unexpected. These ideas reflected the team's creative freedom and how they were looking for ways to merge two very different universes without losing the essence of either.

Ultimately, the team settled on the genre they were most passionate about: turn-based strategy . This choice allowed for a perfect balance between fun, challenge, and the characters' personalities.

A major challenge was including weapons in the game. Shigeru Miyamoto had to approve them, and his criteria was clear: they had to be fun and colorful . This led the team to create multiple sketches and prototypes until they found a design that was believable within the Mario universe and maintained the franchise's signature lighthearted, comical aesthetic.

The result was imaginative and colorful weapons that fit perfectly with the Rabbids and the world of Mario, enhancing the strategic experience without losing the characteristic humor.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was not only a commercial success, but also showed how innovation and creativity can emerge from unexpected ideas. While the final game focuses on strategy, the discarded ideas reflect a bold and imaginative creative process.

This success led to expansions and sequels , such as Kingdom Battle + Donkey Kong Adventure, proving that the balance between creative risk and strategic direction can generate surprising results in the video game industry.