Davide Soliani, an ex-Ubisoft developer best known for his work on the Mario + Rabbids franchise, has announced a brand new studio by the name of Day 4 Night.
Soliani left Ubisoft after 25 years with the company back in July, and it looks like this is what he was cooking up. He’s joined at the helm of the studio by Red Dead Redemption and Shadow of Mordor writer Christian Cantamessa.
Along with Soliani and Cantamessa, Day 4 Night’s staffers include ex-Ubisoft Milan writer Cristiana Nava, Mario + Rabbids producer Gian Marco Zanna, and Luca Breda, who’s served as a combat director on the aforementioned Mario + Rabbids. It’s a real Ubisoft talent exodus.
The studio may have just formed, but it’s already secured its first round of funding, with PUBG publisher (as well as Palworld mobile studio and current Tango Gameworks owner) Krafton providing some of the cash.
Another company providing funding for Day 4 Night is 1Up Ventures, an investment outfit founded by entrepreneur and Xbox co-creator Ed Fries. As you can see, there are some pretty hefty names behind Day 4 Night already.
Cantamessa says that the new studio is “a return to…that unbridled creativity” he felt when first starting out in the gaming world, while Soliani says what Day 4 Night is working on is “a reflection of everything I’ve ever wanted to experience as a player”.
Soliani, who’s known for his emotional response to the announcement of Mario + Rabbids back at E3 2017, went on to describe Day 4 Night’s first project as “a lullaby for my soul and a serenade to our industry”. Big words!
So, what exactly is Day 4 Night working on? About that, Soliani and his compatriots are tight-lipped.
The press release announcing the studio simply says its first game is “an entirely original new game”, so it sounds like it won’t be based on an existing IP. Stay tuned for more on this one.
