Red Dead Redemption is a tough act to follow, and the game’s lead designer is choosing to go in a completely different direction this time. While Red Dead Redemption is often associated with Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser, Christian Cantamessa served as both the game’s lead designer and co-writer, making him one of the most essential figures behind the game. For his new project, Cantamessa is joining up with Davide Soliani of Mario + Rabbids fame.
Revealed at The Game Awards 2025, Bradley the Badger is a new “genre-bending action adventure game” from Cantamessa and Davide Soliani. The game bills itself as “a send-up to classic mascot platformers,” but it’s also an exploration of the game development process, taking on a variety of different genres, intentionally incomplete levels, and more.
The press release cites Wreck-it-Ralph, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Charlie Kaufman as points of reference, setting the stage for an eclectically meta experience.
Bradley The Badger Looks Truly Unique
Bradley the Badger certainly isn’t the first game to peek beyond the fourth wall, but it looks like a fresh approach overall. The interactivity of games offers a lot of interesting opportunities to explore meta-narratives, and titles like The Stanley Parable have proven just how successful big swings can be.
Astro Bot‘s GOTY win in 2024 proved that there’s a big market for platformers playing around with meta elements, and Bradley the Badger‘s focus on the foibles of development seems a lot more interesting than Astro Bot‘s celebration of PlayStation history. Whether it can match the consistent ingenuity of Astro Bot is another question, but it’s certainly a promising concept.
It’s Being Worked On By A Red Dead Redemption Veteran
While Bradley the Badger might seem a hard pivot from Red Dead Redemption, working on a mascot platformer actually brings things full circle for Cantamessa. His first credited game was the Game Boy Color version of Disney’s Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers, and he also worked on Rayman M before pivoting to the much darker Manhunt at Rockstar Games.
Davide Soliani, meanwhile, has an extensive history with the Rayman games, making him a particularly apt fit for this project. I’m sure both have also had their share of experiences that can lend themselves to a story involving the frustrations of game development. Cantamessa was involved with the ill-fated Perfect Dark reboot, for example, although he left the project years before its ultimate cancellation.
At any rate, it’s good to see a new project from some major talents (and a new studio called Day 4 Night). Bradley the Badger might not be the game Red Dead Redemption fans have been waiting for, but it could very well be one they should play all the same.
Location
Peacock Theater, Los Angeles, California.
Dates
2025-12-11
Website
thegameawards.com
