The Rabbid is out of the bag. Ahead of Ubisoft‘s E3 Presentation, Ubisoft Forward, Nintendo revealed the sequel to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. See screenshots within.
Four years ago, I attended Ubisoft‘s E3 Press Conference at E3 2017. Before the event began, Ubisoft hosted a party with food trucks for the media and industry members behind the Orpheum Theatre. I remember being ushered quickly to the back area by security, as a black SUV pulled up to the venue. A sheet was quickly pulled out to cover the car door while a mysterious figure climbed out of the vehicle.
When the Ubisoft Press Conference began, the world learned that that figure was none other than the creator of Mario himself, Shigeru Miyamoto. In what was an all-time great E3 moment, he took the stage with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot to reveal Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
That’s not what happened this year.
Mere hours before Ubisoft’s E3 2021 press conference, Ubisoft Forward, the Nintendo eShop site jumped the gun and revealed the next Mario + Rabbids game, Sparks of Hope. Included in the reveal were screenshots and a 2022 release date on Nintendo Switch.
More details and a trailer will likely be revealed during the official reveal at Ubisoft Forward, but the screenshots and the key art give off strong Super Mario Galaxy vibes. One of the contributing factors for that vibe is a Rosalina Rabbid. Furthermore, the environment shown in these screenshots appear to be even more vibrant than the first game, which has me excited for what diverse landscapes and characters we’re about to experience in this sequel.
Historically, Ubisoft and Leaks go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s just how it has always been. However, it usually comes from jumpy retailers and not their publishing partners. For Nintendo to up and spill the beans before the big reveal begs the question if this was the plan all along to generate hype. If it was, they may have generated some hype but lost out on the element of surprise.
Ubisoft Forward airs today at 12PM PT/3PM ET. You can stream the event, here.
