Mario + Rabbids lead developer Davide Soliani has revealed Bradley the Badger, his first modern project since leaving Ubisoft to found his modern studio.
Bradley the Badger combines classic platform gameplay with fresh twists and a rather meta-emotional story in which players lend a hand the video game mascot in its creator’s unfinished work. Today’s trailer, shown during The Game Awards 2025, included obvious nods to Bloodborne, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us, and… Marvel star Evan Peters as Bradley.
It is the first game developed by Day 4 Night Studios, Soliani’s modern team founded with Red Dead Redemption, Shadow of Mordor and Perfect Dark veteran Christian Cantamessa. The pair are joined by three other former Ubisoft employees – Cristina Nava, Gian Marco Zanna and Luca Breda – who previously worked on the publisher’s franchises Mario + Rabbids, Just Dance and Ghost Recon.
As you explore the team’s modern game as Bradley, you’ll visit many works in progress and have to navigate through them using the in-game developer kit. There will even be some live action scenes showing your progress in helping creator Bradley.
“Bradley the Badger is a love letter to gaming, creativity, and anyone who has ever felt stuck in their career or artistic journey,” reads the official blurb. “The experience transcends gaming worlds with brief moments of live action, exploring various tropes, genres and styles drawn from today’s popular games and media.”
Soliani rose to fame and won the hearts of the Internet as the lovable creator of Mario + Rabbids, an unusual but extremely enjoyable strategy game released on the Nintendo Wii. Soliani’s emotional reaction to the game’s announcement, which was met with a heated reception at E3 2017, became legendary, but the developer left Ubisoft in 2024, 25 years later, after the release of the game’s sequel, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot later said he regretted releasing too early, rather than wait and make more noise on Switch 2.
“What we create during Day 4 Night is a reflection of everything I have ever wanted to experience as a gamer – joy, adventure, poetry, action, wonder and the pleasure of working with friends,” said Soliani. “It is a lullaby to my soul and a serenade to our industry, to the magic and madness of creating worlds from nothing. It is a story of triumphs, challenges, dreams to illuminate the path we walk together.”
Be sure to check out everything announced at The Game Awards 2025 for more information, as well as the full list of winners.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
