Following the release of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the development team at Ubisoft Milan immediately moved on to the game’s DLC, and then straight to the sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. DLC for that game is set to release this year, but the future of the series beyond that is looking bleak. In January, Ubisoft revealed that Sparks of Hope underperformed, and now a Tweet from composer Grant Kirkhope seems to imply that a third game won’t be happening. Kirkhope revealed that his work for the DLC has ended, and he believes that his “8 years writing music for Mario is at an end.”
The Tweet from Kirkhope can be found embedded below.
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If the Mario + Rabbids spin-off series is coming to an end, it’s closing on a high note. Sparks of Hope received widespread critical praise, earning a 4.5 out of 5 score from ComicBook.com. The game also received numerous awards, including Best Sim/Strategy Game at The Game Awards. Alongside fellow composers Gareth Coker and Yoko Shimomura, Kirkhope’s work on the game was also honored by The Ivors, where Sparks of Hope received the award for Best Original Video Game Score.
Following the Tweet, Kirkhope made it clear that he hopes to work on the Mario franchise again in the future. One fan joked that Kirkhope might be free from director Davide Soliani’s “reign of terror,” to which Kirkhope replied “I think I am” alongside a laughing emoji. Kirkhope has been careful not to explicitly state that the series is over, but the implication in these Tweets is pretty obvious.
When the original Mario + Rabbids was announced, Nintendo fans were skeptical to say the least. However, Kingdom Battle proved to be a surprisingly strong game, and Sparks of Hope improved on the formula in a number of significant ways. If this truly is the end, it’s a shame that fans won’t get to see where Soliani, Kirkhope, and the rest of the team take things, but it’s been a much more enjoyable journey than anyone could have predicted.
Are you a fan of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope? Would you like to see a third game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!
