The major game publisher presentations for E3 2017 have come and gone, and with them came many surprises. Some were of smaller yet equally impressive scale of AAAs. Others were the continuations of blockbuster hits of the past, however there was one game announcement that has sort of hit the internet by storm (and it’s not Life is Strange. The title in question is a game that was previously rumored to be a Nintendo Switch launch title; Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Developed & published by Ubisoft with Nintendo’s blessing, this X-Com inspired Mario/Rabbids mash-up is quickly becoming a fan-favorite of this year’s E3

THE HISTORY:

The year is 2016, Nintendo is frantically preparing for a successful launch of the Nintendo Switch (then known as Nintendo NX) for Spring 2017. A number of titles had been announced for launch including the extremely successful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Insane rumors are popping up left and right, including rumored launch titles such as Pokemon, Smash Bros, F-Zero, etc, but one rumor in particular stood out for all the wrong reasons, a crossover of Nintendo’s Mario franchise with Ubisoft’s Rayman spinoff; Raving Rabbids. When the list of rumored launch titles (which had several iterations) started to get a lot of traction from multiple sources, the Mario/Rabbids game stuck out like a sore thumb, people absolutely hated the idea of Mario being lumped together with a not so impressive franchise and felt it was pointless milking of the Nintendo character.

Mario with the Rabbids.

While the Rabbids franchise has admittedly had some moderate success since its conception, the series was never a fan favorite from Ubisoft’s massive catalog of IP, so it was understandable thinking that a crossover with a franchise like Mario wouldn’t really go over well (hell the initial Rayman connection didn’t either). Despite the disbelief of the rumored launch titles list the Mario/Rabbids crossover continued to gain traction with some even going as far as claiming it was guaranteed.

Shigeru Miyamoto & Yves Guillemot.

The Rumors Grow:

Nearly a year after the rumored title began, it began to look more & more like a (then) unfortunate reality, as a couple of months prior to E3 2017 a Mario/Rabbids crossover was once again brought into light, this time, however it was all but confirmed as the year one plan for the title was leaked, as well as gameplay mechanics and artwork. In reality, Ubisoft originally pitched a possible Mario & Rabbids mash-up in 2014, Miyamoto was impressed with the prototype build he was shown and gave the greenlight for the project.

A rumor becomes reality.

The Reveal:

On June 12, 2017 the long-rumored game was officially announced and revealed at Ubisoft’s E3 2017 conference. The game was demoed on stage by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto & Yves Guillemot and showed off an XCOM inspired gameplay model with players using the environment for cover, while having to use strategy to defeat enemies and move on. You can choose your own characters between the Mario universe & costumed Rabbids, as well as your weaponry.

The crossover we never knew we wanted.

The Reaction:

After the initial introduction and gameplay reveal, the response for Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was met with overwhelming positive. With many calling it a “day one buy”, while others were surprised by how well put together the Rabbids and Mario Universes were when collided.  Considering the early beginnings of its reaction back in its adolescent (rumored) stage, Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle has become perhaps E3’s biggest hit this year, and if the final build of the game ends up being truly special, we could be looking at our first Game of the Year contender, possibly even rivaling core Mario title Super Mario Odyssey.