Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was one of the least likely success stories of 2017 - a turn-based strategy game in which an increasingly unloved Ubisoft IP forged an alliance with Nintendo's best - but if anything the tale of its conception is even less likely.
Ubisoft Milan's Davide Soliani recently shared the story in depth with Eurogamer, and it's a heart-warming read, featuring tales of derring do - Soliani's first ever meeting with Shigeru Miyamoto only came about because he and some friends posed as his Italian translators to find out where he was staying - and an abundance of passion and self-sacrifice.
Our favorite part probably came when Soliani first showed Miyamoto the game's proof-of-concept demo, complete with painstaking recreations of Mario and Luigi.
"How did you recreate Mario and Luigi like this?" asked Miyamoto. "We did them ourselves," responded Soliani. "Just for this meeting." Miyamoto took a moment to look at this nervous Italian man sitting next to him. "I'm impressed," he concluded. "Let's meet again in a few months time. You should come to Kyoto."
We don't want to spoil the whole thing, which also includes a video and some lovely animations, so make sure you check it out. It will lift your spirits.