just mario: milking mario soooo much!!!!!!

rabbids + mario: unnecessary... just use mario and friends!!!!!!

To make another first party game for the Switch?
Because Ubisoft really wanted to make a Mario game and Nintendo said "Sure."?
Because it would make for a neat little crossover like Fire Emblem Warriors?
Because the more good games there are the better?
Because why not?

ubi gives switch an exclusive and mario helps to popularize rabbits.
maybe ubi woudnt accept make a game featuring only mario.

Rayman is not so popular in japan. Other franchise from Ubisoft dont really fit toghether. The Rabbids are safe choice.

I guess it's an attempt to make the Rabbids franchise more appealing, while simultaneously giving Nintendo a new game with the Mario brand recognition, without Nintendo having to do the work directly.

This was something that Ubisoft pitched to Nintendo. It was a project that they wanted to do and have been wanting to do for a long time now. It wasn't until recently that the idea was greenlit by Shigeru Miyamoto. MIyamoto gave them 1 rule to follow and it was, make it unlike any other Mario game that already exists. There's like development videos on youtube too.

First time I watched Despicable Me I couldn't shake off the thought of how much Minions felt like Rabbids.

I think the game is better for including them instead of just standard Nintendo characters.

Since when were character inclusions in games made on the basis of absolute necessity?

Maybe it was to justify the weapons and stuff. If Mario and crew just "decided" to pick up beam guns to fight the bad guys that would seem a little off I think.

Since always, given that its a business?