Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Developer Teases Hidden Rayman Message

On August 30th, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope's final DLC will release. Titled Rayman in the Phantom Show, the DLC will see Rayman teaming with Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach. The game will mark Rayman's first major appearance in several years; outside of a handful of mobile releases and ports, Rayman hasn't had a new game since 2013's Rayman Legends. The @RaymanTogether Twitter account has offered some new hope for fans of the series in the form of a message from Sparks of Hope director Davide Soliani. In the message, Soliani reveals his hope to bring the character back to prominence.

"...I hope that the community and all Rayman players support us as much as possible because I'm on a mission: my mission is to be able to bring Rayman back to the glory he deserves," writes Soliani. "Among other things, in the DLC there is a secret hidden message that players who will 100% complete the DLC can read! So I hope for your support and I hope you like it!"

How is Rayman connected to Mario + Rabbids?

The Rabbids series originally began as a spin-off of the Rayman games. Rayman Raving Rabbids released as a launch title for the Nintendo Wii in 2006, and featured the limbless hero in a collection of minigames. Eventually, the Rabbids began to star in games of their own, while Rayman returned to platform games like Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. Unfortunately, sales for Rayman Legends did not meet Ubisoft's expectations, and Rayman has mostly disappeared in the decade since.

Will we see more Mario + Rabbids games after Sparks of Hope?

The Nintendo Switch era has seen two games teaming Mario and friends with the Rabbids characters. In 2017, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle released, and 2022's Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was a direct sequel. While fans might assume a third game in the series would follow, Ubisoft has stated that Sparks of Hope underperformed expectations, despite strong sales for the first game. After finishing his work on the Rayman DLC, composer Grant Kirkhope shared his belief that his "eight years writing music for Mario is at an end," implying that the team will not be immediately moving to work on a sequel, as they had after Kingdom Battle.

One of the potential reasons Sparks of Hope has struggled is that it's competing against Kingdom Battle. Earlier this year, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that Nintendo advised against releasing another Mario + Rabbids game on Switch, encouraging the studio to release a game on the company's next system instead. Nintendo has historically avoided releasing similar Mario games, and that has given the games a longer shelf life. Series producer Cristina Nava recently shared her optimism that Sparks of Hope will find greater success in the long-term. It's possible the Rayman DLC could convince some newcomers to jump on the game, especially if offers a hint at future plans for the character!

Are you looking forward to Rayman in the Phantom Show? Do you think we'll see more Mario + Rabbids games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Nintendo Life]