Second Mario + Rabbids lead exits Ubisoft Milan

Another senior developer from the Mario + Rabbids team has left Ubisoft Milan, one month after the departure of its creative director.

Cristina Nava was a producer on both Mario + Rabbids games, and also led production of Ubisoft Milan’s contribution to Star Wars Outlaws, which was led by Massive Entertainment but had help from numerous other Ubisoft studios.

Nava announced her departure on social media, where she stated that her next role was already known but that she wasn’t in a position to reveal it yet.

“August 30, the release day of Star Wars Outlaws, also marked my last day at Ubisoft,” Nava wrote. “I have decided to leave Ubisoft Milan, where I spent 16 incredible years with incredible people, to write a new chapter in my story – a chapter I’m not ready to share yet.

“I’ve been truly blessed to collaborate with amazingly talented colleagues. Together, we created oddball games like the Mario + Rabbids saga in partnership with Nintendo. When you say a dream come true! I wish you all the best, my friends, in your future endeavors. And thank you to all the players who have shown their love all these years.”

Nava’s exit comes roughly one month after the departure of Mario + Rabbids creative lead Davide Soliani, who left Ubisoft at the end of July.

Similarly vague about his next destination, Soliani said he’d decided to “embark on a new adventure” but did not share details of his next career step.

According to Ubisoft, the first Mario + Rabbids game has reached more than 10 million players since 2017. The sequel, Sparks of Hope, was released in 2022 and has sold more than 3 million copies, per VGC sources.

Despite strong reviews, Sparks of Hope initially disappointed commercially during its release window of October 2022, with Ubisoft stating it was “surprised” by its underperformance during the final weeks of 2022.

Speaking to VGC last summer, Nava claimed that the studio expected Sparks of Hope to sell over a long period of time, like its predecessor did.

At the time of the interview, Ubisoft Milan was still helping Massive Entertainment to finish Star Wars: Outlaws. Asked what the studio planned to do beyond that, Nava said it would lead another “big, compelling” game.