The announcement for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle came as a surprise to many. Not only were the Rabbids returning, but Nintendo was also willing to share their beloved mascot Mario with Ubisoft, something they very rarely do. Yet once again to fans' surprise, the game received great reviews and was a hit for the Nintendo Switch.
The Mario side of the game doesn't shy away from familiar Nintendo scenes and characters. Even characters like Donkey Kong feature in the DLC, and the upcoming sequel Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope looks to be taking heavy inspiration from the Mario Galaxy games. Yet when it comes to the Rabbids side of the game, there aren't a whole lot of references and variety from their franchise.
The Rabbids first appeared as an enemy in the 2006 game Rayman Raving Rabbids. Moving away from Rayman's platforming roots, Rayman Raving Rabbids featured a collection of minigames in which Rayman had to compete against the Rabbids. Due to their popularity, they went on to feature in two more Rayman games before splitting off into their own franchise.
Rabbids Go Home was the first game to feature Rabbids without Rayman. It was received well by audiences, despite swapping out the usual Rabbids minigame design for a 3D world full of chaotic missions. With the Rabbids becoming just as well-known as Rayman, Ubisoft released a plethora of games during the early 2010s. With eight new Rabbid games over the course of five years, they were receiving even more love than their original franchise.
Ironically, Rayman only received two games within that time, with the character not receiving a mainline Rayman game since Rayman Legends in 2013. However, the Rabbids were suffering from burnout and started slowing down, which only made the announcement of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle all the more surprising.
Despite the Rabbids breaking away from Rayman many years ago, it still feels strange that no homage is paid to the character. During a Game Informer interview with the game's creative director and lead producer, they were asked why Rayman wasn't included. Their response was "We discussed it, but honestly, we thought that the strength of the Rabbids is that they are a white canvas, so you can do pretty much whatever you want," explaining that the team sees Rabbids and Rayman as part of two separate universes.
It seems clear that the team wants the Rabbids to stand on their own, and not be seen as side characters to Rayman, but it would still be a nice nod to longtime fans if Rayman were to appear in some form. Luckily, that is still a possibility, as the success of Mario + Rabbids means the series isn't going anywhere.