Mario + Rabbids lead and Red Dead Redemption lead designer form new studio

Mario + Rabbids director Davide Soliani has founded a new studio, Day 4 Night, along with other former leaders of Ubisoft Milan.

Soliani is joined by co-founders Christian Cantamessa, who was a writer and lead designer on Red Dead Redemption, and Mario Rabbids producers Cristina Nava and Gian Marco Zanna, plus Rabbids designer Luca Breda.

The group have secured their first round of financing from publisher Krafton, plus Xbox co-creator Ed Fries’ 1Up Ventures.

Soliani and Cantamessa will now co-direct a game based on a new IP, which Fries describes as “easily the most creative thing we have seen in quite some time”.

In a statement, the new studio said it was “committed to creating new content that pushes the boundaries of storytelling and game design.”

Soliani said: “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.

“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.”

Soliani announced in June that he had left Ubisoft, saying on social media that he’d decided to “embark on a new adventure” .

During 25 years at Ubisoft Milan, Soliani was notably the creative lead on both Mario + Rabbids games, the first of which has reached 10 million players since 2017, according to Ubisoft.

Soliani became well-known online after Shigeru Miyamoto name-checked him during a Ubisoft presentation, leaving him visibly emotional.

The sequel, Sparks of Hope, was released in 2022 and has sold more than 3 million copies, per VGC sources.

Soliani’s departure was followed by that of Mario + Rabbids producer Cristina Nava, who announced her departure in early September.

“August 30, the release day of Star Wars Outlaws, also marked my last day at Ubisoft,” Nava wrote at the time. “I have decided to leave Ubisoft Milan, where I spent 16 incredible years with incredible people, to write a new chapter in my story – a chapter I’m not ready to share yet.”