Back in late 2016, Nintendo finally announced the much-rumored Nintendo Switch, featuring a new 3D Super Mario, Mario Kart 8, Skyrim, Splatoon, and of course Breath of the Wild. But one other notable exclusive showed up in an unexpected way. Reports were coming out suggesting that a crossover between Mario and the oft-maligned Raving Rabbids from Ubisoft was coming, and that it would feature music by legendary composer Grant Kirkhope. People weren’t sure what to make of this; they were skeptical at best and actively dreading it at worst.
And then, the leaks happened. In early 2017, key promotional art for this strange new Mario and Rabbids crossover circulated around the internet, and it made people even more worried. Things looked bad, but then at [E3 2017](https://youtu.be/6zH-Rhdj5Wc?feature=shared) those impressions would change. At Ubisoft’s press conference, they opened the show with Shigeru Miyamoto walking on stage to announced Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a turn based tactics game taking clear inspiration from XCOM for its gameplay. The creative director even cried on screen which in itself won the hearts of many watching the show. The reveal was met with radiating enthusiasm, and the eventual release on August 29th of that year more so. Critics and fans loved it, particularly the humor, soundtrack, and tactical gameplay, even painting a more positive impression of the once-irritating Rabbid characters. It has reportedly sold more than 2 million copies, although it does go on sale quite frequently.
A DLC season pass featuring new weapons, new challenge battles, and an entirely new campaign starring Donkey Kong would release over the course of the next year. Rabbids got to show up as spirits and Mii costumes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and a full-blown sequel would be released in 2022. The final DLC for that sequel, which will star Ubisoft’s neglected hero Rayman, is scheduled to launch tomorrow, putting a poetic end to this fruitful collaboration.