Ubisoft regrets releasing Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope on the Nintendo Switch and instead wishes it had waited for the console’s successor.
Speaking to GI.biz, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said Sparks of Hope would have likely performed better if it had not released on the same platform as the first game, given their similar gameplay experiences.
“We had already released a Mario Rabbids game [on Switch], so by doing another we had two similar experiences on one machine,” he said.
“We were a bit too early, we should have waited for [the next console].”
“On Nintendo, games like this never die. There are 25 Mario games on Switch. Nintendo [has advised] that it’s better to do one iteration on each machine,” Guillemot continued. “We were a bit too early, we should have waited for [the next console].
“Because you could play a great game. And we think it will last for 10 years, because we will update it for the new machine that will come in the future.”
Guillemot is therefore also the first to indirectly confirm a game coming to Nintendo’s next console, despite us having no clue what that is.
Sparks of Hope launched in October 2022 to high critical praise but seemingly poor sales in what was otherwise a difficult year for Ubisoft. The publisher’s sales were down 14.6% from 2021, prompting it to double down on Assassin’s Creed.
In our 9/10 review of the game, IGN said: “Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a major leap forward from atop the shoulders of its surprisingly smart and charming predecessor, bringing a wonderful amount of flexibility to its turn-based tactical battles.”
In May, Nintendo put a stop to rumours about its new hardware by declaring a Switch successor won’t release until April 2024 at the earliest. The next Nintendo Direct is set for 7am PT / 3pm UK June 21, and revolves around Nintendo Switch games coming out this year, including Pikmin 4.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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