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Rare (video game company)
Encyclopedia
Rare Ltd. is a British
video game developer
located in Twycross
, Leicestershire
. The organization was founded in 1982 by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper
as a company called Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. and published games under the name Ultimate Play the Game
. They developed games for 8-bit
platforms such as the ZX Spectrum
, the Commodore 64
and the BBC Micro
. In 1985, the Ultimate name was sold to U.S. Gold
in order to prevent a buyout of the whole company.
The company subsequently began to focus solely on the Nintendo Entertainment System
platform, and in 1994 they entered an exclusive publishing agreement with Nintendo
. Rare achieved great critical acclaim and earned an international reputation for creating successful Super Nintendo Entertainment System
and Nintendo 64
titles such as Donkey Kong Country
, GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie
, among others. In 2002, Microsoft
paid US$375 million for a 100% acquisition of the company. As a result, Rare is now a subsidiary
of Microsoft Studios.
On 2 January 2007, it was announced that founders Tim and Chris Stamper left Rare to pursue "other opportunities". Rare's current Senior Studio Director is Craig Duncan, a developer who has previously worked on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
and the Colin McRae Rally
series.
was studying physics and electronics at Loughborough University
in Leicestershire
. Stamper was intrigued in programming, and he soon quit his degree course to begin working in arcade game development. After spending a couple of years mastering the ZX80 and experimenting with it, he, along with his brother Tim
and other friends, decided to make their own games and founded Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. (ACG) in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
in 1982. In 1983, they released their first game, Jetpac
, a single-screen shooting game for the ZX Spectrum
. Rather than publishing it under ACG, the Stampers opted to create the trade name
Ultimate Play the Game
. The game was a commercial success and sold over 300,000 copies, turning Ultimate in excess of one million pounds.
Over the next months, they released Pssst
, Tranz Am
and Atic Atac
, among others, and soon the company became the top game developer in the United Kingdom
. In 1984, they released Knight Lore
, a revolutionary title that was the first in history to display a detailed 3D world using an isometric perspective
. Although a fan base quickly grew around Ultimate Play the Game, the Stamper brothers attended no interviews or trade shows. According to Tim Stamper, "We were just interested in seeing the software out there and getting fair reviews". Additionally, as the company was understaffed, they did not have enough time. But in the meantime they kept developing new titles for the ZX Spectrum
, the Amstrad CPC
series, the Commodore 64
and the BBC Micro
.
games out of Japan. By the time, they sold off part of the Ultimate label to U.S. Gold
and formed a subdivision inside Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. named Rare Ltd. Having convinced Nintendo
to allow them to develop games for their 8-bit console, Rare started producing a large number of titles for the system, including Wizards & Warriors, R.C. Pro-Am
and Captain Skyhawk
. The company produced over 40 NES games as well as several additional Game Boy
conversions in just four years. According to Ste Pickford, who was part of the team at Rare throughout the late 80s and into the early 90s, they just "wanted to make as many games as they could in their 'window of opportunity'".
Nintendo then revealed their new video game console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
, and Rare was not ready for the change after developing the number of games on the NES. Therefore, they limited their releases to some Battletoads
games and decided to invest their significant NES profit in purchasing expensive Silicon Graphics
workstations so that they could learn how to create a game with pre-rendered 3D graphics. Working on a way of transferring the hi-res graphical output of their Silicon Graphics workstations to the SNES system, they created a demonstration of a boxing game. As a result, this placed Rare as a highly advanced developer in the industry.
graphics impressed Nintendo's Genyo Takeda
, and in 1994, Nintendo bought a 49% stake in the company, making Rare a Nintendo second-party developer. Rare then applied to trademark the names "Rareware" and "Rare: Designs on the Future". The company was one of Nintendo's key developers and had enough recognition that Nintendo offered them their catalogue of characters to create a SGI game. The Stamper brothers asked for Donkey Kong. The resulting game, Donkey Kong Country
, which was the first to use pre-rendered 3D graphics on a console, was a critical and commercial success, and sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling game in the SNES library. Donkey Kong Countrys success led to Rare creating two sequels: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
, which were released to both critical and commercial success.
Around the same time, Nintendo acquired the rights of the 1995 film GoldenEye
and asked Rare to produce a video game based on it. The developers initially decided to approach the game as a first-person
rail shooter, but it was eventually changed to a free roaming 3D shooter for the Nintendo 64. GoldenEye 007 was released on August 25, 1997 to universal critical acclaim and commercial success, eventually selling over eight million units worldwide. The game received numerous awards and Rare won the BAFTA
award for "Best UK Developer". Other Nintendo 64 games include: Banjo-Kazooie
, released in 1998 with high critical praise and commercial success, won in the Console Action/Adventure and Art Direction categories and sold over three million units; Jet Force Gemini
and Donkey Kong 64
were released in 1999 to generally favorable and very positive reviews respectively, though not as high as their previous titles.
Prior to these events, Rare had already publicly lost staff from other teams. In 1997 a small number of these employees (Oliver Davies, Oliver Norton, Steve Patrick, Jeff Stafford, Christopher Gage, and Adrian Smith) left and formed a new studio to be known as Eighth Wonder. They were signed with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
and were all set to develop a new PlayStation
game, but by 1999, the studio no longer existed. On the other hand, some key members of the GoldenEye 007 development team left Rare in 1998. Head of software Martin Hollis
was the first to leave, working at Nintendo of America
on the GameCube
, and in 2000 he started his own company, Zoonami
. Other members, such as David Doak
, left soon after Hollis and formed Free Radical Design
which went into administration in December 2008, but was then acquired by developer Crytek
in 2009. Doak left prior to this and set up a new games development company, named Pumpkin Beach.
In 2000, Rare released the spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark
. The game was given near universal critical acclaim from the gaming media, and the company was awarded the BAFTA
Interactive Entertainment Moving Images Award for 2000 and the Golden Satellite Award for Best Interactive Product in 2001. Rare's last games for the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Tooie
and Conker's Bad Fur Day
, released in late 2000 and 2001 respectively, were very well-received by reviewers. Conker's Bad Fur Day won the 2001 BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for sound, though commercial success was lower than expected as a result of lack of promotion from Nintendo and the fact that it came at the end of the N64's lifecycle.
and Microsoft
visited Rare. In September 2002, the Stamper brothers sold their 51% interest in Rare to Microsoft; following this, Nintendo
sold their 49% stake in the company as well. Microsoft paid a total of $375 million to own 100% of the company. Because of this, Rare is now a first-party developer
for Microsoft's Xbox
and its successors. This left Donkey Kong Racing, which was due to be released for the Nintendo GameCube
, unreleased. The trademark
s of the characters
from the games that Rare made for Nintendo consoles, such as Conker of Conker's Bad Fur Day
and Banjo of the Banjo-Kazooie series, were retained by Rare, whereas intellectual properties created by Nintendo, such as Donkey Kong
and Star Fox, were retained by Nintendo. Star Fox Adventures
, originally planned as Dinosaur Planet
for the N64, became the only Rare game produced for the Nintendo GameCube
.
Despite the acquisition, Rare still kept developing games for Nintendo handheld consoles
, as Microsoft is currently not participating in the handheld video game console market: In August 2003, Rare and Microsoft made a deal with THQ
for Rare to publish games for the Game Boy Advance
, which have included Sabre Wulf, a game based on an Ultimate
character; Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
, an interquel to the two Nintendo 64
games; and It's Mr. Pants!, a puzzle game that was originally developed as "Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers", and featured the company's unofficial mascot. January 2005 saw the completion of this deal, with the release of Banjo-Pilot
, originally known as "Diddy Kong Pilot" before being acquired by Microsoft. Rare also ported and extended the Donkey Kong Country series, which was published by Nintendo.
At E3 in May 2004, Microsoft's Ken Lobb
stated that Rare had obtained Nintendo DS
development kits and was working on two games for the Nintendo DS. Shortly after, Microsoft issued a statement saying that the company and its studios had no plans for Nintendo DS development. However, in July 2005 Rare posted job openings for Nintendo DS development on its official website, and stated that it was "creating key DS titles". The first of these games was Diddy Kong Racing DS, a remake of the Nintendo 64
title Diddy Kong Racing
, now featuring the ability for players to compete over the Internet through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
.
In 2005, Rare released Conker: Live & Reloaded
, a remake of the N64's Conker's Bad Fur Day
with updated graphics, sound to suit the Xbox
and a reworked multiplayer option. The game received generally favorable reviews. Later that year, in November 2005, Rare made something of a resurgence when Microsoft's Xbox 360
console was released. Two of the Xbox 360's launch games were developed by Rare: Kameo: Elements of Power
and Perfect Dark Zero
, with Viva Piñata
released the next year to very positive reviews. It also received a BAFTA nomination in Artistic Achievement. On 2 January 2007, Rare founders Chris and Tim Stamper left the company to "pursue other opportunities". Previous lead designer Gregg Mayles reviews as Creative Director and Mark Betteridge replaces as Studio Director at the company, replacing the brothers on a permanent basis. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
, released in 2008 to generally positive reviews, was their first major game developed without the involvement of the Stamper brothers in the company.
Despite solid reviews, their Microsoft titles sold worse than expected. As a result, Microsoft decided to restructure the studio during the end of the decade. In March 2010, the company opened a new facility in Fazeley Studios, located in Digbeth
, Birmingham
. Later that year, Microsoft confirmed that Scott Henson, a developer who previously worked on the hardware and software design of the new Xbox 360 console and Kinect for Xbox 360, replaced Mark Betteridge as Studio Manager and that their main focus will be on Kinect. According to Henson: "Kinect will be the main focus for Rare going forwards as it's a very rich canvas. This is just the beginning of an experience that will touch millions of people." Rare's first Kinect project was Kinect Sports
, released in November 2010. Despite average reviews, the game was a commercial success, selling three million units as of May 2011. In March 2011, Scott announced that Craig Duncan, who has previously worked on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
and the Colin McRae Rally
series, was hired on as Senior Studio Director.
, just down the road from Twycross
. Web video shows have been granted access in recent years, such as Eurogamer
in November 2006, The 1UP Show
and GameSpot
UK's Start Select in May 2008. Internally, they are quite divided and operate in a slightly different way to other software houses. According to Tim Stamper:
During the Ultimate Play the Game
years, the company gained an international reputation for being media-shy. The company itself, being understaffed, did not commit themselves to trade shows and only granted interviews once their current project was completed. Tim Stamper said in a CRASH
interview that the only time off they had during the Ultimate years was two Christmas mornings. They worked all seven days a week, and the only hours in which they did not work were 2:00–8:00 am.
Rare released a VHS
tape that could be obtained via mail-in request with the purchase of Donkey Kong Country. The video details the game's creation and shows the animal models Rare used. At the end of the video, the host and some others are seen playing Killer Instinct
. They quickly look at the cameraman before pushing him out a door and closing it as the video ends.
More recently, Rare has denied a fan site, MundoRare, from filming a documentary about their studios, at MundoRare's own expense. The film was meant to celebrate Rare's 25th anniversary, and would have been distributed over the Internet and Xbox Live
. Rare, however, denied permission to shoot this film, claiming it was not "on message". This led to controversy about Rare's current direction with Microsoft, as well as the shutting down of MundoRare, claiming that the site could not support Rare's new direction.
and shooter
games, such as their Donkey Kong Country
series, GoldenEye 007, the Conker series, the Banjo-Kazooie series, and the Perfect Dark series
, Rare does not stick to a few specific video game genres. They have also developed several action-adventure game
s, including Star Fox Adventures
and Kameo: Elements of Power
, some fighting game
s such as the Killer Instinct series, some racing game
s, such as R.C. Pro-Am
or Diddy Kong Racing
, and some classic Beat 'em up
/Shoot 'em up
games such as Battletoads
, Jetpac Refuelled
and Captain Skyhawk
, among others. Additionally, as Rare has usually been tied to a company that manufactures a video game console (e.g. Nintendo
and Microsoft
), most of their titles have been developed solely for a particular platform. Rare now focuses on the Kinect device, with their latest game, Kinect Sports
, released in 2010 and the sequel Kinect Sports: Season Two
released the year later. Rare is rumored to make a mature title for the next Xbox console.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
located in Twycross
Twycross
Twycross is a small village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England on the A444 road. Parts of it are called Norton juxta — Latin for 'next to' — Twycross or Little Twycross...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. The organization was founded in 1982 by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper
Tim and Chris Stamper
Tim and Chris Stamper are the co-founders of Ashby Computers & Graphics and later Rare...
as a company called Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. and published games under the name Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
. They developed games for 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
platforms such as the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
. In 1985, the Ultimate name was sold to U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
in order to prevent a buyout of the whole company.
The company subsequently began to focus solely on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
platform, and in 1994 they entered an exclusive publishing agreement with Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. Rare achieved great critical acclaim and earned an international reputation for creating successful Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
titles such as Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
, GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
, among others. In 2002, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
paid US$375 million for a 100% acquisition of the company. As a result, Rare is now a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Microsoft Studios.
On 2 January 2007, it was announced that founders Tim and Chris Stamper left Rare to pursue "other opportunities". Rare's current Senior Studio Director is Craig Duncan, a developer who has previously worked on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
and the Colin McRae Rally
Colin McRae Rally
Colin McRae Rally and more recently; Dirt, is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters.Started in 1998, the franchise has been a critical and commercial success and is generally acknowledged as a pioneer of realistic rally sports racing games...
series.
Ultimate Play the Game
In the early 1980s, Chris StamperTim and Chris Stamper
Tim and Chris Stamper are the co-founders of Ashby Computers & Graphics and later Rare...
was studying physics and electronics at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. Stamper was intrigued in programming, and he soon quit his degree course to begin working in arcade game development. After spending a couple of years mastering the ZX80 and experimenting with it, he, along with his brother Tim
Tim and Chris Stamper
Tim and Chris Stamper are the co-founders of Ashby Computers & Graphics and later Rare...
and other friends, decided to make their own games and founded Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. (ACG) in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
in 1982. In 1983, they released their first game, Jetpac
Jetpac
Jetpac is a ZX Spectrum, VIC-20 and BBC Micro video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1983. The game is the first in the Jetman series, and was the company's very first release. The game was written by Chris Stamper with graphics by Tim Stamper...
, a single-screen shooting game for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. Rather than publishing it under ACG, the Stampers opted to create the trade name
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
. The game was a commercial success and sold over 300,000 copies, turning Ultimate in excess of one million pounds.
Over the next months, they released Pssst
PSSST
Pssst is a ZX Spectrum video game made by Ultimate Play The Game in 1983. In the game Robbie the Robot has to protect his plant as it is attacked by various insects , each of which needs a different repellent. The game was written by Chris Stamper and Tim Stamper...
, Tranz Am
Tranz Am
Tranz Am is a ZX Spectrum video game released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1983. The game was one of the very few Spectrum games also available in ROM format for use with the Interface 2....
and Atic Atac
Atic Atac
Atic Atac is a ZX Spectrum video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1983. It takes place within a flip-screen castle in which the player must seek out the "Golden Key of ACG"...
, among others, and soon the company became the top game developer in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 1984, they released Knight Lore
Knight Lore
Knight Lore is a computer game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. The game is the third in the Sabreman series, following on from his adventures in Sabre Wulf and Underwurlde. Unlike the earlier games in the series it used Ultimate's filmation engine to achieve a 3D look...
, a revolutionary title that was the first in history to display a detailed 3D world using an isometric perspective
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
. Although a fan base quickly grew around Ultimate Play the Game, the Stamper brothers attended no interviews or trade shows. According to Tim Stamper, "We were just interested in seeing the software out there and getting fair reviews". Additionally, as the company was understaffed, they did not have enough time. But in the meantime they kept developing new titles for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
series, the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
.
Inception and rise
When Chris and Tim Stamper were realising that they had pushed the Spectrum to its limits, they started getting interest in the development of Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
games out of Japan. By the time, they sold off part of the Ultimate label to U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
and formed a subdivision inside Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. named Rare Ltd. Having convinced Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
to allow them to develop games for their 8-bit console, Rare started producing a large number of titles for the system, including Wizards & Warriors, R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by United Kingdom-based company Rare. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo at North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15 that year. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player...
and Captain Skyhawk
Captain Skyhawk
Captain Skyhawk is a single player video game developed by Rare and released in 1990 by Milton Bradley Company for the Nintendo Entertainment System.It features music by acclaimed composer David Wise.-Story:...
. The company produced over 40 NES games as well as several additional Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
conversions in just four years. According to Ste Pickford, who was part of the team at Rare throughout the late 80s and into the early 90s, they just "wanted to make as many games as they could in their 'window of opportunity'".
Nintendo then revealed their new video game console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, and Rare was not ready for the change after developing the number of games on the NES. Therefore, they limited their releases to some Battletoads
Battletoads
Battletoads is a platformer video game created by Tim and Chris Stamper and developed by Rare. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions , the game was created to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games....
games and decided to invest their significant NES profit in purchasing expensive Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
workstations so that they could learn how to create a game with pre-rendered 3D graphics. Working on a way of transferring the hi-res graphical output of their Silicon Graphics workstations to the SNES system, they created a demonstration of a boxing game. As a result, this placed Rare as a highly advanced developer in the industry.
Partnership with Nintendo
Their progress with the SGISilicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
graphics impressed Nintendo's Genyo Takeda
Genyo Takeda
is the general manager of Nintendo's integrated research division, and has been working there since it was founded in 1981. He mostly works on improving hardware for home consoles and handhelds, but sometimes develops video games...
, and in 1994, Nintendo bought a 49% stake in the company, making Rare a Nintendo second-party developer. Rare then applied to trademark the names "Rareware" and "Rare: Designs on the Future". The company was one of Nintendo's key developers and had enough recognition that Nintendo offered them their catalogue of characters to create a SGI game. The Stamper brothers asked for Donkey Kong. The resulting game, Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
, which was the first to use pre-rendered 3D graphics on a console, was a critical and commercial success, and sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling game in the SNES library. Donkey Kong Countrys success led to Rare creating two sequels: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is an adventure platform game developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System produced by Rareware and published by Nintendo. It stars Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong...
and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is a platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo and was the third and final installment in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy until Nintendo announced Retro Studios would be developing the next installment, Donkey Kong Country Returns...
, which were released to both critical and commercial success.
Around the same time, Nintendo acquired the rights of the 1995 film GoldenEye
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
and asked Rare to produce a video game based on it. The developers initially decided to approach the game as a first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
rail shooter, but it was eventually changed to a free roaming 3D shooter for the Nintendo 64. GoldenEye 007 was released on August 25, 1997 to universal critical acclaim and commercial success, eventually selling over eight million units worldwide. The game received numerous awards and Rare won the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award for "Best UK Developer". Other Nintendo 64 games include: Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
, released in 1998 with high critical praise and commercial success, won in the Console Action/Adventure and Art Direction categories and sold over three million units; Jet Force Gemini
Jet Force Gemini
Jet Force Gemini is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Rare. It was exclusively released for the Nintendo 64 in late 1999 in North America, Europe and Japan...
and Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64 is a platform game, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 24, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
were released in 1999 to generally favorable and very positive reviews respectively, though not as high as their previous titles.
Prior to these events, Rare had already publicly lost staff from other teams. In 1997 a small number of these employees (Oliver Davies, Oliver Norton, Steve Patrick, Jeff Stafford, Christopher Gage, and Adrian Smith) left and formed a new studio to be known as Eighth Wonder. They were signed with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
and were all set to develop a new PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game, but by 1999, the studio no longer existed. On the other hand, some key members of the GoldenEye 007 development team left Rare in 1998. Head of software Martin Hollis
Martin Hollis
Martin Hollis is a computer and video game designer and the founder and CEO of Zoonami. He has worked in the computer and video game industry for over 19 years and was Head of Software at Rare...
was the first to leave, working at Nintendo of America
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
on the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, and in 2000 he started his own company, Zoonami
Zoonami
Zoonami is a video game development company, founded in 2000 by Martin Hollis, the director and producer of GoldenEye 007. He left Rare shortly before Perfect Dark was released while other members of the GoldenEye 007 team formed Free Radical Design....
. Other members, such as David Doak
David Doak
David Doak is a Northern Irish video game designer. Originally from Belfast, he later moved to England, where he studied at Oxford University on biochemistry specialty and worked as a research scientist...
, left soon after Hollis and formed Free Radical Design
Free Radical Design
Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, is a video game developer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, probably best known for Second Sight and the TimeSplitters series. After going into financial administration, it was announced on February 4 2009 that the studio had been acquired by...
which went into administration in December 2008, but was then acquired by developer Crytek
Crytek
Crytek is a German video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish brothers: Cevat, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry and...
in 2009. Doak left prior to this and set up a new games development company, named Pumpkin Beach.
In 2000, Rare released the spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
. The game was given near universal critical acclaim from the gaming media, and the company was awarded the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
Interactive Entertainment Moving Images Award for 2000 and the Golden Satellite Award for Best Interactive Product in 2001. Rare's last games for the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 as a part of the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game is the successor to Banjo-Kazooie and was one of the most anticipated sequels for the Nintendo 64.The game's story...
and Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day is an action-platform video game developed and published by Rare. It was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001 and was Rare's last game published for the console. The game was in development for four years; it was originally intended for a young audience, but was redesigned and...
, released in late 2000 and 2001 respectively, were very well-received by reviewers. Conker's Bad Fur Day won the 2001 BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for sound, though commercial success was lower than expected as a result of lack of promotion from Nintendo and the fact that it came at the end of the N64's lifecycle.
Microsoft era
Up from the end of 2000, people from ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
visited Rare. In September 2002, the Stamper brothers sold their 51% interest in Rare to Microsoft; following this, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
sold their 49% stake in the company as well. Microsoft paid a total of $375 million to own 100% of the company. Because of this, Rare is now a first-party developer
First-party developer
A video game development party can be one of two parties: a first-party or third-party developer.- First-party developer :In the video game industry, a first-party developer is a developer that is part of a company that manufactures a video game console, and develops exclusively for it...
for Microsoft's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and its successors. This left Donkey Kong Racing, which was due to be released for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, unreleased. The trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s of the characters
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the games that Rare made for Nintendo consoles, such as Conker of Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day is an action-platform video game developed and published by Rare. It was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001 and was Rare's last game published for the console. The game was in development for four years; it was originally intended for a young audience, but was redesigned and...
and Banjo of the Banjo-Kazooie series, were retained by Rare, whereas intellectual properties created by Nintendo, such as Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong
is a fictional gorilla in the Donkey Kong and Mario series. He is roughly twice the size of a normal gorilla, weighing approximately 800 pounds. Donkey Kong first appeared in Nintendo's popular 1981 video game of the same name. Since then he has appeared in over 20 games in his own series, as well...
and Star Fox, were retained by Nintendo. Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Star Fox series. It was released in North America on 23 September 2002, Japan on 27 September 2002, Australia on 15 November 2002 and Europe on 22 November 2002...
, originally planned as Dinosaur Planet
Dinosaur Planet
Dinosaur Planet may refer to:* Dinosaur Planet , a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey* Dinosaur Planet, a science fiction novel by Stephen Leigh, book 1 of 6 in his Dinosaur World series...
for the N64, became the only Rare game produced for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
.
Despite the acquisition, Rare still kept developing games for Nintendo handheld consoles
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
, as Microsoft is currently not participating in the handheld video game console market: In August 2003, Rare and Microsoft made a deal with THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
for Rare to publish games for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, which have included Sabre Wulf, a game based on an Ultimate
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
character; Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a 2003 handheld action-adventure video game for the Game Boy Advance developed by Rare and published by THQ. It is the third installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and the second sequel to Banjo-Kazooie for the Nintendo 64.Grunty's Revenge is a interquel, taking...
, an interquel to the two Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
games; and It's Mr. Pants!, a puzzle game that was originally developed as "Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers", and featured the company's unofficial mascot. January 2005 saw the completion of this deal, with the release of Banjo-Pilot
Banjo-Pilot
Banjo-Pilot received mixed reviews. IGN gave it an 8, praising it as the second-best GBA racer. It received three out of five stars from GameSpy, who said it "wasn't worth the near half-decade wait." Generally, those who praised the game did so for its addictive multiplayer mode and large replay...
, originally known as "Diddy Kong Pilot" before being acquired by Microsoft. Rare also ported and extended the Donkey Kong Country series, which was published by Nintendo.
At E3 in May 2004, Microsoft's Ken Lobb
Ken Lobb
Kenneth Alan Lobb is an American video game designer formerly employed by Taxan USA Corp., Namco Hometek, and Nintendo of America, and currently employed by Microsoft Game Studios....
stated that Rare had obtained Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
development kits and was working on two games for the Nintendo DS. Shortly after, Microsoft issued a statement saying that the company and its studios had no plans for Nintendo DS development. However, in July 2005 Rare posted job openings for Nintendo DS development on its official website, and stated that it was "creating key DS titles". The first of these games was Diddy Kong Racing DS, a remake of the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
title Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing is a 1997 racing game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rareware. 800,000 copies were ordered in the two weeks before Christmas 1997, making it the fastest selling video game at the time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first game to spin off from the...
, now featuring the ability for players to compete over the Internet through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
.
In 2005, Rare released Conker: Live & Reloaded
Conker: Live & Reloaded
Conker: Live & Reloaded is an action-platform video game developed by Rare and exclusively released for the Xbox in June 2005. The single player mode is a remake of the 2001 game Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64. However, it includes a new multiplayer mode that is different to the Nintendo...
, a remake of the N64's Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker's Bad Fur Day is an action-platform video game developed and published by Rare. It was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001 and was Rare's last game published for the console. The game was in development for four years; it was originally intended for a young audience, but was redesigned and...
with updated graphics, sound to suit the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and a reworked multiplayer option. The game received generally favorable reviews. Later that year, in November 2005, Rare made something of a resurgence when Microsoft's Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
console was released. Two of the Xbox 360's launch games were developed by Rare: Kameo: Elements of Power
Kameo: Elements of Power
Kameo: Elements of Power is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare. Under development for 4 years, the game was released as a launch title for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console in late 2005.- Plot :...
and Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark Zero is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game had a difficult development cycle, during which a substantial part of it was initially designed for the Nintendo GameCube...
, with Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
released the next year to very positive reviews. It also received a BAFTA nomination in Artistic Achievement. On 2 January 2007, Rare founders Chris and Tim Stamper left the company to "pursue other opportunities". Previous lead designer Gregg Mayles reviews as Creative Director and Mark Betteridge replaces as Studio Director at the company, replacing the brothers on a permanent basis. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is an action-adventure/vehicle construction/platformer video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was first announced at the X06 Media Briefing. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is the third installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and takes place...
, released in 2008 to generally positive reviews, was their first major game developed without the involvement of the Stamper brothers in the company.
Despite solid reviews, their Microsoft titles sold worse than expected. As a result, Microsoft decided to restructure the studio during the end of the decade. In March 2010, the company opened a new facility in Fazeley Studios, located in Digbeth
Digbeth
Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Later that year, Microsoft confirmed that Scott Henson, a developer who previously worked on the hardware and software design of the new Xbox 360 console and Kinect for Xbox 360, replaced Mark Betteridge as Studio Manager and that their main focus will be on Kinect. According to Henson: "Kinect will be the main focus for Rare going forwards as it's a very rich canvas. This is just the beginning of an experience that will touch millions of people." Rare's first Kinect project was Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports is a sports video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game utilises the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral and was released in North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan in November 2010 as a launch title for Kinect.The game is a...
, released in November 2010. Despite average reviews, the game was a commercial success, selling three million units as of May 2011. In March 2011, Scott announced that Craig Duncan, who has previously worked on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
and the Colin McRae Rally
Colin McRae Rally
Colin McRae Rally and more recently; Dirt, is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters.Started in 1998, the franchise has been a critical and commercial success and is generally acknowledged as a pioneer of realistic rally sports racing games...
series, was hired on as Senior Studio Director.
Culture
Unlike some other software developers, Rare gained a reputation for being a very secretive company. Their office buildings are heavily secured by cameras and are located in the remote Manor ParkManor Park
Manor Park may refer to places:in Canada:*Manor Park, Nova Scotia, a neighborhood in Dartmouth*Manor Park , Canadain New Zealand:*Manor Park, New Zealand, a suburb of Lower Huttin the United Kingdom:*Manor Park, London...
, just down the road from Twycross
Twycross
Twycross is a small village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England on the A444 road. Parts of it are called Norton juxta — Latin for 'next to' — Twycross or Little Twycross...
. Web video shows have been granted access in recent years, such as Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
in November 2006, The 1UP Show
The 1UP Show
The 1UP Show was a video podcast that was updated weekly on the video gaming website, 1UP.com. It featured editors of 1UP.com along with the magazine editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly and Games for Windows: The Official Magazine. Like the website, the podcast focused on various aspects of modern...
and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
UK's Start Select in May 2008. Internally, they are quite divided and operate in a slightly different way to other software houses. According to Tim Stamper:
During the Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play the Game
Ultimate Play The Game was a critically acclaimed video game developer of the early home computer era. "Ultimate Play The Game" was the trading name of Ashby Computers & Graphics Ltd. , a software company founded in 1982 by two ex-arcade game developers Tim and Chris Stamper...
years, the company gained an international reputation for being media-shy. The company itself, being understaffed, did not commit themselves to trade shows and only granted interviews once their current project was completed. Tim Stamper said in a CRASH
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
interview that the only time off they had during the Ultimate years was two Christmas mornings. They worked all seven days a week, and the only hours in which they did not work were 2:00–8:00 am.
Rare released a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape that could be obtained via mail-in request with the purchase of Donkey Kong Country. The video details the game's creation and shows the animal models Rare used. At the end of the video, the host and some others are seen playing Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and rumored to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine, in reality the proprietary arcade hardware was co-developed by Rare and Midway. The game received a high profile launch...
. They quickly look at the cameraman before pushing him out a door and closing it as the video ends.
More recently, Rare has denied a fan site, MundoRare, from filming a documentary about their studios, at MundoRare's own expense. The film was meant to celebrate Rare's 25th anniversary, and would have been distributed over the Internet and Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
. Rare, however, denied permission to shoot this film, claiming it was not "on message". This led to controversy about Rare's current direction with Microsoft, as well as the shutting down of MundoRare, claiming that the site could not support Rare's new direction.
Games
Rare has developed around 130 video games since its foundation, with sales nearing the 90 million units as of 2002. Although the company is notable for its platformPlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
and shooter
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
games, such as their Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
series, GoldenEye 007, the Conker series, the Banjo-Kazooie series, and the Perfect Dark series
Perfect Dark (series)
Perfect Dark is a science fiction video game franchise created and developed by Rare. The series debuted with the Nintendo 64 video game Perfect Dark in 2000, which received strong acclaim from critics and players, leading to the franchise's expansion. In 2002, Rare was acquired by Microsoft Game...
, Rare does not stick to a few specific video game genres. They have also developed several action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
s, including Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Star Fox series. It was released in North America on 23 September 2002, Japan on 27 September 2002, Australia on 15 November 2002 and Europe on 22 November 2002...
and Kameo: Elements of Power
Kameo: Elements of Power
Kameo: Elements of Power is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare. Under development for 4 years, the game was released as a launch title for the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console in late 2005.- Plot :...
, some fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
s such as the Killer Instinct series, some racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s, such as R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by United Kingdom-based company Rare. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo at North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15 that year. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player...
or Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing is a 1997 racing game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rareware. 800,000 copies were ordered in the two weeks before Christmas 1997, making it the fastest selling video game at the time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first game to spin off from the...
, and some classic Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
/Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
games such as Battletoads
Battletoads
Battletoads is a platformer video game created by Tim and Chris Stamper and developed by Rare. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions , the game was created to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games....
, Jetpac Refuelled
Jetpac Refuelled
Jetpac Refuelled is a video game developed by Rare for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. It costs 400 Microsoft Points .-Gameplay:...
and Captain Skyhawk
Captain Skyhawk
Captain Skyhawk is a single player video game developed by Rare and released in 1990 by Milton Bradley Company for the Nintendo Entertainment System.It features music by acclaimed composer David Wise.-Story:...
, among others. Additionally, as Rare has usually been tied to a company that manufactures a video game console (e.g. Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
), most of their titles have been developed solely for a particular platform. Rare now focuses on the Kinect device, with their latest game, Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports is a sports video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game utilises the Kinect motion-sensing peripheral and was released in North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan in November 2010 as a launch title for Kinect.The game is a...
, released in 2010 and the sequel Kinect Sports: Season Two
Kinect Sports: Season Two
Kinect Sports: Season Two, also known as Kinect Sports 2, is a sequel to Kinect Sports co-developed by Rare and BigPark, and published by Microsoft Studios. It was unveiled at E3 2011's Microsoft Conference for Kinect and released in October 2011. The game adds six new sports and voice control...
released the year later. Rare is rumored to make a mature title for the next Xbox console.