How the Mario + Rabbids creative lead’s new studio, Day 4 Night, teamed up with Focus Entertainment to turn Bradley the Badger into one of the industry’s most-watched new platformers.
A New Mascot Platformer With Serious Heritage
Bradley the Badger is not just another cute animal platformer. It is the first project from Day 4 Night, a studio led by Mario + Rabbids creative director Davide Soliani, and it has already secured a strong publishing deal with Focus Entertainment. After a reveal at The Game Awards that immediately marked it as a playful send up of modern gaming trends, the project is quickly becoming one of the most closely watched new 3D platformers in development.
At its core, Bradley the Badger is a vibrant 3D action platformer where players guide Bradley through a series of "unfinished" game worlds. These spaces are deliberately rough around the edges and use the premise of game development itself as the playground. The player is not only jumping and battling through levels, but effectively stepping into the role of a creator who can shape and influence these evolving environments.
From Mario + Rabbids To Day 4 Night
The main reason Bradley the Badger is turning heads is the experience behind it. Day 4 Night was founded in 2024 by Davide Soliani, best known as the creative director of Mario + Rabbids at Ubisoft Milan. That series surprised many when it launched, taking the unlikely pairing of Mario and Ubisoft’s Rabbids and turning it into a critically acclaimed tactics franchise. Its success helped cement Soliani’s reputation as someone who can take a risky idea and turn it into something polished, charming and commercially viable.
Soliani is joined by an impressive group of veterans. Red Dead Redemption writer Christian Cantamessa is part of the founding team, bringing narrative expertise from one of the most respected open world dramas in the last decade. Former Ubisoft Milan leaders, including producers Cristina Nava and Gian Marco Zanna, have also come on board. The result is a studio built from people who have already shipped technically demanding, large scale projects under major publishers.
This pedigree matters for Bradley the Badger. A satirical, genre bending platformer lives or dies on execution. If its jokes about game development fall flat, or if its level design feels unfocused, the concept risks becoming a novelty. The leadership at Day 4 Night has already proven that they can manage crossover concepts, team coordination and high expectations. That track record is a big part of why the industry is paying attention.
Focus Entertainment Steps In As Publisher
Focus Entertainment has now stepped up as publisher for Bradley the Badger, shifting the game out of the uncertainty that can shadow independent projects and into a more stable, visible lane. Focus is known for backing distinctive, mid scale titles such as A Plague Tale, Aliens: Dark Descent and Evil West. Its catalog leans toward games with strong identities that do not necessarily follow the usual blockbuster blueprint, which lines up well with what Day 4 Night is attempting.
According to Focus, Bradley the Badger caught their eye because of its striking tone, its sense of personality and the clear potential of the concept. It is not just another mascot hopping through bright levels. The game’s structure and story frame modern game development as something to be playfully critiqued, with Bradley moving through worlds that parody current trends, genres and even specific iconic franchises.
With Focus handling publishing duties, Bradley the Badger gains access to a global marketing pipeline, platform relationships and production support that are difficult for a fresh studio to secure on its own. This partnership increases the likelihood that the game will land on multiple platforms and be promoted as a headline release rather than a niche curiosity.
A Satirical Tour Through Gaming’s Biggest Trends
One of the most distinctive aspects of Bradley the Badger is its satirical approach. The game’s worlds are themed around riffs on popular gaming phenomena, with names like BadgerBorne, CyberBadger and The Last Badger. These settings clearly reference games and subgenres that players will recognize, but they are framed through Bradley’s journey and the lens of development parody.
Instead of simply mocking these inspirations, Day 4 Night describes Bradley the Badger as a celebration of what the team loves about video games. Wonder, creativity, surprise and emotional storytelling are meant to sit alongside the jokes and references. The tone is closer to affectionate commentary than scathing critique, which gives the team space to experiment without turning the experience into a bitter in joke.
The concept of "unfinished" worlds plays into this. Levels can feel like works in progress, full of placeholder elements or exaggerated design decisions, as if the player has broken into a development build. Part of the appeal is seeing how Bradley’s presence, and the player’s actions, reshape these spaces into something more cohesive. It blurs the line between main character and level editor, while still keeping the structure of a traditional 3D platformer.
Live Action Sequences And Experimental Storytelling
Bradley the Badger is not limiting itself to in engine cutscenes. The project also features live action sequences integrated into its narrative. This approach recalls experimental titles that mix real footage with interactive segments, but here it is specifically tied to the theme of game development and the people behind the process.
Bringing in live action opens the door for commentary on studio culture, marketing, community expectations and the business side of games, while still anchoring everything around Bradley’s fictional universe. With Christian Cantamessa contributing his narrative experience, the team has the potential to give these experiments enough structure to feel meaningful rather than just quirky.
For players, this means Bradley the Badger could feel like a guided tour through how modern games are made and sold, presented as a playful, character driven adventure rather than a lecture. That angle helps it stand apart from more traditional mascot platformers and aligns with the broader trend of games reflecting on their own medium.
Why The Industry Is Watching Closely
There are several converging reasons why Bradley the Badger has become a game to watch.
First, the creative leadership is proven. Soliani and his team have shipped multiple high profile titles, including crossover projects that needed to satisfy both corporate partners and dedicated fanbases. This experience makes it more likely that Bradley the Badger will stick the landing on both gameplay and presentation.
Second, Focus Entertainment’s involvement signals confidence from an established publisher that specializes in this scale of project. Focus tends to favor original IP with a clear hook, and its backing means Bradley the Badger is more likely to benefit from a proper marketing push instead of disappearing into a crowded release calendar.
Third, the premise feels timely. The industry is in a moment where players are deeply aware of the realities of development, from crunch and layoffs to the impact of trends like live service models and cinematic storytelling. A platformer that treats those topics with humor and warmth, while letting players actively reshape "unfinished" worlds, taps into that awareness in a way that can resonate broadly.
Finally, the game itself looks poised to offer a mix of accessible platforming and layered meta humor, with a bright, characterful art style that recalls the heyday of mascot driven games. If Day 4 Night can balance the platforming fundamentals with its commentary and live action experiments, Bradley the Badger could become both a crowd pleasing adventure and a conversation piece for the industry.
Looking Ahead
Bradley the Badger does not yet have a confirmed release date, but its move under Focus Entertainment’s publishing umbrella suggests development is progressing toward a broader reveal cycle. As more footage and details emerge, the key question will be how well the final game harmonizes its different ambitions.
For now, Bradley stands as a symbol of what Day 4 Night is trying to do as a studio. It is playful, self aware and grounded in a genuine love for video games, backed by a team with the experience to deliver and a publisher that actively seeks out distinctive projects. That combination is rare enough to make Bradley the Badger one of the most intriguing new platformers in the pipeline.