Dear Reader:
XCOM creative director says seeing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was "one of the most surreal experiences" of his professional life
The following comes from Jake Solomon, creative director and design lead for XCOM.
The first time I heard about Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, I was hunkered in my hotel room in Los Angeles during the E3 expo in June. I was feverishly preparing a presentation of my own game, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, while half-listening to the Nintendo press conference in the background. I didn’t pay much attention. It seemed a vague stream of soothing words like “amiibo” and “Yoshi.”
And then I began to hear something else: familiar phrases, to me at least, like “turn-based tactics” and “half cover.” I paused, turned up the volume, and watched.
It was one of the most surreal experiences of my professional life. There was Luigi, sliding into cover, his gun at the ready. There was Mario, unloading a volley of blaster fire from his overwatch position. And there was Princess Peach, weighing a 50 percent shot on an enemy.