Developers on Red Dead Redemption and the Mario + Rabbids series have teamed to found their own studio, Day 4 Night.
Led by game director Davide Soliani and Christian Cantamessa, the team will split its staff between Los Angeles and Milan, Italy. Fellow co-founders include Cristina Nava, Gian Marco Zanna, and Luca Breda, all of whom were previously at Ubisoft for 13-16 years.
Soliani exited Ubisoft Milan this past July after 25 years. Along with the Mario+Rabbids games (which Nava, Zanna, and Breda also helped develop), he worked on several games for the Rayman, Just Dance, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchises.
All of the founders are ex-Ubisoft, actually: Cantamessa worked at the Milan offshoot for nearly two years as a designer on Rayman Arena and Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers.
Originality and innovation at Day 4 Night
In its press release, Day 4 Night highlighted a focus on “originality and innovation,” and its debut project will be published by Krafton.
The PUBG publisher and 1Up Ventures provided a round of funding to Day 4 Night. Krafton VP Maria Park said Day 4 Night’s pitch was “highly engaging and captivating,” and “a great match for the type of studios we aim to support.”
Davide called the mission and first project “a reflection of everything I’ve ever wanted to experience as a player. […] It’s a lullaby for my soul and a serenade to our industry.”
Cantamessa was equally effusive about the studio overall, saying Day 4 Night “is a return to that innovative spirit, to that innocence, to that unbridled creativity.”
Developers interested in applying to Day 4 Night can contact the studio here.