Assassin’s Creed developer Ubisoft regrets releasing Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope on current Switch hardware, now saying they should have waited for the system’s successor. Despite getting plenty of positive reviews, the game sold below expectations, with the company admitting that they should have been more patient.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s CEO, spoke with gamesindustry.biz about the game’s failure, blaming the amount of Mario titles on the system. Guillemot also points out how its predecessor, Kingdom Battle, was also on the Switch and the similarities turned people off.
What makes this interview interesting is that Nintendo apparently told them it would have been better to wait for the next system, the proposed Nintendo Switch 2. It’s interesting to hear the company advise that since they probably would have wanted the money anyway.
“Nintendo [has advised] that it’s better to do one iteration on each machine. We were a bit too early, we should have waited for [the next console],” Guillemot says.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope did receive plenty of positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Those who played it applauded the new gameplay mechanics, with many feeling that it easily exceeds its predecessor.
Although it probably didn’t affect sales, Ubisoft’s troubled reputation probably didn’t help things. Many were already criticizing the company for oversaturating the market with Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry games. Knowing that they also treated female employees badly makes them look even worse.
Despite poor sales, Ubisoft did announce DLC for the game and is planning to finish up all of the promised content. One of the planned expansions will be bringing Rayman to the game, which has fans of classic platformers excited. Considering the limbless character’s lack of recent games, seeing him in the DLC is a pretty cool move.
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Until we get a Switch 2, fans can enjoy Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope right now on the original system. While not perfect, the game runs well and the improvements made to the battle system are pretty fun. Fans can download a free demo and see if the game is to their liking.