• News

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope accidentally leaked ahead of Ubisoft Forward at E3 2021 [UPDATED]

Nintendo may have accidentally stolen Ubisoft's thunder with the accidental reveal of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope on the Nintendo eShop.

TJ Denzer

June 12, 2021 1:02 PM

1

UPDATED (June 12, 2021 @ 1:02 p.m. PT): We got our official reveal of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope during the Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 showcase on June 12, 2021 as expected. Gameplay and a cinematic trailer were shown with Mario teaming up with the Mushroom Kingdom characters and Rabbids cosplaying various Mushroom Kingdom characters once more in strategic turn-based gameplay. The game is set to arrive Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022.

Leaks and accidents are pretty frequent, especially as we get closer to a huge event such as E3 2021. However, it’s not often we see the goods of one major publisher leaked by another major publisher. That said, it seems that may be the case with an all-new Mario + Rabbids collab between Nintendo and Ubisoft. The unannounced Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope appeared on the Nintendo eShop briefly before being pulled.

It was on June 12, 2021, that many woke up to find that there was an unannounced listing of a new Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope game on the Nintendo eShop. The fact that it was removed rather quickly after it first appeared means someone likely made an oopsie. Given that the Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 was also set to take place on June 12 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET, it’s pretty much a given that Sparks of Hope was meant to appear there first before Nintendo spilled the beans.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.