Davide Soliani
Birth date1 December 1972 (age 53)
Birth placeMilan, Italy
OccupationVideo game designer · photographer
Other namesDavid Soliani · The Ubisoft Crying Man[1]
Known for
  • Rayman series
  • Mario + Rabbids series
Years active1999–present
Websitedavidesoliani.com

Davide Soliani (born 1 December 1972)[2] is an Italian video game designer and photographer, known for developing the Rayman series and for directing the Mario + Rabbids series at Ubisoft Milan, where he worked for over twenty years until 2024.[3][4]

Early life

Soliani was born on 1 December 1972 in Milan, Italy. He was the only person in his family to be born in Milan, as his mother comes from Veneto, and his father comes from Emilia Romagna, though most of his family is scattered in Lombardy.[5]

Career

Soliani began his career as a game designer at Ubisoft Milan in 1999.[6][7] His first project was the development of the Game Boy Color version of Rayman, released in 2000.[8] He has also worked on Rayman M and its American version, Rayman Arena.[9]

During his career, Soliani served as creative director for the video games Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, both of which were developed in collaboration between Ubisoft and Nintendo.[10][11] In particular, the third downloadable content (DLC) for Sparks of Hope, entitled Rayman in the Phantom Show, saw the return of Rayman as the main character, which was particularly significant for Soliani, who has historical ties to the franchise.[12]

In 2023, shortly before the release of Rayman in the Phantom Show, Soliani gave a message to the community announcing the presence of a secret message hidden upon 100% completion of the DLC, declaring his desire to "restore Rayman to the glory he deserves."[13]

On 24 July 2024, he announced his departure from Ubisoft after more than twenty years with the company,[14] not because of "any specific reason, but because I was searching for something that I couldn’t find there… something that we’re now creating together here".[10]

In October 2024, he founded the independent game studio Day 4 Night Studios with Christian Cantamessa,[15][16] with offices in Milan and Los Angeles.[17] The team, supported by Krafton and 1Up Ventures, includes former developers of Just Dance, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Star Wars Outlaws, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, including key figures such as Cristina Nava, Gian Marco Zanna, and Luca Breda.[18]

On 12 December 2025, during The Game Awards, Soliani presented the studio's first project, entitled Bradley the Badger. The video game is described as a platformer game with a meta-narrative plot and features actor Evan Peters in the lead role. The title integrates live-action scenes and will allow players to use an internal development kit.[19]

In addition to his career in the video game industry, Soliani is also a photographer. He has developed a photography portfolio that includes projects such as "Streets of Japan", "Pryp'yat' – Chernobyl", and "Just Dance".[20] His photographic work has also been recognized by art galleries. For example, the Blue Koi Gallery featured him as a spotlight artist, highlighting his work "Hidden Misty River" and his reflective approach to photography.[2]

Video games

YearTitleRole
1999Rayman (Game Boy Color version)Game designer
2001Rayman M / Rayman ArenaGame designer
2017Mario + Rabbids Kingdom BattleDirector, co-creator, designer
2022Mario + Rabbids Sparks of HopeCreative director, co-creator
TBABradley the BadgerCo-creative director

References

  1. ^ Ed Nightingale (2025-12-12). "Mario + Rabbids creator's next game spoofs Bloodborne and more, in a mascot platformer parody of the games industry starring a badger". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  2. ^ "Featured Artist: Davide Soliani – Blue Koi Gallery". Archived April 21, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  3. ^ Luca Tremolada (2010-09-16). "Il mestiere del game designer (la storia di Davide Soliani)" (in it-IT). Il Sole 24 Ore (Goozo). Archived December 9, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  4. ^ "Ubisoft Milan: l'addio di Davide Soliani dopo 25 anni" (in Italian). Tom's Hardware. 2024-07-24. Archived February 28, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  5. ^ "Street Photography: #9 My grandfather was a plumber". Davide Soliani. Archived December 11, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  6. ^ "Davide Soliani" (in it-IT). www.luccacomicsandgames.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  7. ^ Kirk Hiner (2022-09-22). "Pure Nintendo interviews Davide Soliani, creative director of Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope". Pure Nintendo. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  8. ^ Rebekah Valentine (2025-09-22). "Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope’s Rayman DLC Is a Decades-Long Dream Come True for Creative Director". IGN. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  9. ^ Davide Soliani (June 14, 2022). "I was organizing my archive and library and I stumbled upon a folder with a lot of researches and drawings I did for Rayman M (Rayman Arena). I almost forgot about all those sketches. They are ugly, I’m not good at sketching, but maybe are still interesting for someone?😅😊🙏🏻". No. 1536750192892039169. Archived 2026-02-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  10. ^ Andy Robinson (2025-02-26). "'If Nintendo call, we'll answer': Mario Rabbids' creator talks life after Ubisoft at his new studio". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  11. ^ Chris Kerr (2024-07-24). "Mario+Rabbids creative director departs Ubisoft Milan after 25 years". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  12. ^ "Rayman in the Phantom Show: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Comes Full Circle". Ubisoft. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  13. ^ "Mario + Rabbids creator says it was a "bit hurtful" when Ubisoft said sequel had underperformed". My Nintendo News. 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  14. ^ "Davide Soliani has left Ubisoft" (in Italian). SpazioGames. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  15. ^ "Day 4 Night, scopriamo il dream team italiano dei designer di Mario + Rabbids e Red Dead Redemption" (in Italian). Multiplayer.it. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  16. ^ "Day 4 Night è il nuovo studio di Davide Soliani, fondato con il lead designer di Red Dead Redemption" (in Italian). Multiplayer.it. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  17. ^ "Day 4 Night è il nuovo studio di sviluppo di Davide Soliani e Christian Cantamessa" (in Italian). HDblog.it. 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  18. ^ "Video games: Christian Cantamessa and Davide Soliani found a new studio" (in it-IT). www.tgcom24.mediaset.it. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  19. ^ Andrea Peduzzi (2025-12-12). "Il director di Mario + Rabbids, Davide Soliani, annuncia il primo gioco del suo nuovo studio" (in Italian). IGN Italia. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  20. ^ "Davide Soliani" (in it-IT). Davide Soliani. Retrieved 2025-04-14.