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 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...
