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| {{Infobox Company
| | '''Rare, Ltd.''', also known simply as Rare and, formerly, Rareware, is a British video game development company. They have developed a huge amount of games. Many were for Nintendo, but the company is now owned by Microsoft. |
| |company_name = Rare
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| |company_logo = [[Image:modernrarelogo.jpg|center|180px]]
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| |company_type = [[Private company|Private]]
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| |foundation = 1982
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| |location = {{flagicon|UK}} [[Twycross]], [[Leicestershire]], [[United Kingdom]]
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| |key_people = [[Gregg Mayles]] <br />[[Mark Betteridge]]
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| |industry = [[Computer and video game industry]]
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| |products = [[Video games]]
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| |revenue =
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| |operating_income =
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| |net_income =
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| |owner=[[Microsoft]]
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| |num_employees =
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| |homepage =http://www.rareware.com/
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| }}
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| '''Rare, Ltd''' is a [[United Kingdom]]-based [[video game developer|video game development company]]. It was founded in [[1982]] by brothers [[Tim and Chris Stamper]] as '''Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd''' ('''ACG'''). Publishing as '''[[Ultimate Play The Game]]''', they developed games for [[8-bit]] platforms such as the [[ZX Spectrum]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekpub.cgi?regexp=^Ultimate+Play+The+Game$ | title = Sinclair Infoseek: Ultimate Play The Game | accessdate = 2006-08-19 | author = Martijn van der Heide | work = World of Spectrum }}</ref>, the [[Commodore 64]] and the [[BBC Micro]], before the name was sold to [[U.S. Gold]] in 1985. Rare then became a [[second-party developer]] for the [[Nintendo]] gaming platforms, but in [[2002]] was acquired by [[Microsoft]]<ref name="Microsoft">{{cite web|title= Microsoft buy top games producers Rare | publisher=CBBC Newsround | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_2283000/2283354.stm | accessdate=2007-05-1}}</ref>. In autumn 2003, the company's "Rareware" logo (which had been used since 1994) was discontinued and was replaced by a newer, similar logo with the name "Rare".
| | ==History== |
| | Rare was founded in 1982 by Tim and Chris Stamper. They published their games as '''Ultimate Play The Game''', for 8-bit consoles like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and BBC Micro. In 1995, Rareware made an agreement with Nintendo, and began publishing games for them. In 2002, Microsoft bought Rareware. Since then, Rareware has made console games strictly for Microsoft, but also made handheld games for Nintendo. |
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| The company is notable for having created an unusually large number of original hit games, and for the company's price tag: Microsoft paid US$377 million for the company, a record for a video game developer.
| | ==Famous Games== |
| | *[[Jetpac]] (1983) |
| | *[[Sabre Wulf]] series (1984) |
| | *[[Battletoads]] (1991) |
| | *[[Donkey Kong Country]] (1994) |
| | *[[Killer Instinct]] (1994) |
| | *[[Goldeneye 007]](1997) |
| | *[[Diddy Kong Racing]] (1997) |
| | *[[Banjo-Kazooie]] (1998) |
| | *[[Donkey Kong 64]] (1999) |
| | *[[Perfect Dark]] (2000) |
| | *[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]] (2001) |
| | *[[Star Fox Adventures]] (2002) |
| | *[[Kameo: Elements of Power]] (2005) |
| | *[[Viva Piñata]] (2006) |
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| On [[January 2]] [[2007]], it was announced that Tim and Chris Stamper have left Rare to pursue 'other opportunities'. Neither Microsoft, Rare, nor the Stamper brothers have stated specifically what they intend to move onto post-Rare.
| | ==Famous Members== |
| | | *'''Tim and Chris Stamper:''' The original founders of the company. They left in January of 2007 to pursue "other opportunities". |
| ==Company overview== | | *'''[[Grant Kirkhope]]:''' Composer for most of Rare's Nintendo 64 games, and also the composer of Rare's most recent games. Possibly most famous for the music of Banjo-Kazooie. He left Rare in July of 2008, to work with THQ's studio, Big Huge Games, as audio director. |
| Rare is located in [[Twycross|Twycross, Leicestershire, England]] and is the company behind many of the most famous games for [[Nintendo]]'s various gaming systems: ''[[Battletoads]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' (and its sequels), ''[[Killer Instinct]]'', ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Banjo-Tooie]]'', ''[[Blast Corps]]'', ''[[GoldenEye 007]]'', ''[[Perfect Dark]]'', ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', ''[[Jet Force Gemini]]'', ''[[Star Fox Adventures]]'', ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' and, most recently, ''[[Viva Pinata DS]]''.
| | *'''Robin Beanland:''' Composer for many of Rare's games. He was also the composer for [[Conker's Bad Fur Day]] (and its remake, [[Conker: Live & Reloaded]]) and co-wrote the script with Chris Seavor. |
| | | *'''Chris Seavor:''' Originally working as a graphic designer for Rare, he eventually designed Conker's Bad Fur Day. He co-wrote the script with Robin Beanland, and voiced many of the characters, including [[Conker]]. He also voiced Slippy Toad in [[Star Fox Adventures]]. |
| Its games have always employed some of the latest graphics technology. One of its most critically acclaimed and popular series was the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], due to its use of pre-framed [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] on a [[2D computer graphics|2D]] console. ''GoldenEye 007'' for the [[Nintendo 64]] is considered by many to be their biggest success, known even today as one of the gold standards for console [[first-person shooter]]s, eventually selling 7.8 million copies. Rareware's ''Killer Instinct'' added several features to the [[fighting game]] genre such as autodouble [[combo (computer and video games)|combos]], combo linkers and ultra combos.
| | *'''Martin Hollis:''' Left in 1998 and began working with Nintendo on the Gamecube. He eventually formed the company Zoonami. |
| | | *'''David Doak:''' Left after Hollis and helped form Free Radical Design, the company behind the Timesplitters franchise. |
| Key members of the ''GoldenEye'' development team left Rare soon after beginning work on ''Perfect Dark''. Head of Software [[Martin Hollis]] was the first to leave in 1998, working at [[Nintendo|Nintendo of America]] on the [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]], and in 2000 he started his own company, [[Zoonami]]. Other members such as [[David Doak]] left soon after he did and formed [[Free Radical Design]].
| | [[Category:Rareware]] |
| [[Image:RarewareLogo.jpg|right|thumb|170px|The Classic ''Rare'' Logo (Used from 1994-2003).]]
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| However prior to both of these events, Rare had already publicly lost staff from other teams. In 1997 a small number of employees ([[Oliver davies|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|Sony Computer Entertainement Europe]] (who made sure this defection was well publicised in the games press) and were all set to develop a new [[PlayStation]] title. There were high hopes that this would produce an amazing game; provisionally titled "Popcorn". EDGE magazine even profiled the project, showing a game that looked like a 3D version of [[Bomberman]]. However, despite being shown by SCEE at the 1998 [[ECTS]] [http://www.prnewswire.dk/cgi/news/release?id=17981], the game was never released. Eighth Wonder are believed to have experienced a number of internal problems and, by 1999, the studio no longer existed.
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| Up from the end of 2000, people from [[Activision]] and [[Microsoft]] visited Rare. In November 2001, Microsoft trademarked the name ''[[It's Mr. Pants]]'', the name of a game which was released three years later. 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 $377 million for the company. Because of this, Rare is now a [[first-party developer]] for Microsoft's [[Xbox]] and its successors. The [[trademark]]s of the [[fictional character|characters]] from the games that Rare made for Nintendo consoles (such as Conker of ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' and Banjo from the Banjo-Kazooie series) were retained by Rare (apart from intellectual properties originally developed by Nintendo, i.e. ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' and ''[[Star Fox (series)|Star Fox]]''). Despite the acquisition, Rare still develops games for [[Game Boy Advance]], and is now also developing for the [[Nintendo DS]]. Rare has never developed for [[Sony]] platforms.
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| Between [[2000]] and the final acquisition of Rare Ltd, more than 50 people left the company. After the acquisition was complete, at least 30 more left. {{Fact|date=March 2007}} Commentators have noted that Rare's first Xbox title, ''[[Grabbed by the Ghoulies]]'', was not a commercial success.
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| August [[2003]] brought news that Rare and Microsoft had made a deal with [[THQ]] to publish Rare's Game Boy Advance games, which [[as of 2004|as of December 2004]] have included ''[[Sabre Wulf (GBA)|Sabre Wulf]]'', a game based on its Ultimate character, ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge]]'', a "midquel" 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 [[Mr. Pants|mascot]]. January [[2005]] saw the completion of this deal, with the release of ''[[Banjo Pilot]]'' (which prior to being acquired by MS, was in development as "Diddy Kong Pilot"). Rare also ported and extended the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series, which was published by Nintendo.
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| At the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] in May 2004, Microsoft's [[Ken Lobb]] stated that Rare had obtained Nintendo DS development kits and was working on two titles for the Nintendo DS [http://gc.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=2122]. Shortly after, Microsoft issued a statement saying that the company and its studios had no plans for Nintendo DS development. However, on [[July 8]], [[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 is an [[Diddy Kong Racing DS|online-capable port of ''Diddy Kong Racing'']].
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| Rare made something of a resurgence when Microsoft's [[Xbox 360]] console was released in late 2005. Several of the Xbox 360's launch titles were developed by Rare, including ''[[Kameo]]'', ''[[Viva Pinata]]'', and ''[[Perfect Dark Zero]]'', all of which were critically acclaimed.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/kameoelementsofpower/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review | title = GameSpot review of Kameo}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/strategy/vivapinata/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review | title = GameSpot review of Viva Pinata}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/perfectdarkzero/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review | title = GameSpot review of Perfect Dark Zero}}</ref>
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| On [[January 2]] [[2007]], Rare founders Chris and Tim Stamper left the company to "pursue other opportunities"<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3156140 | title = Rare Founders Leave to 'Pursue Other Opportunities' | accessdate = 2007-01-02 | author = 1UP.com}}</ref>. 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.
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| ==Media-shy nature==
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| During the '''Ultimate - Play The Game''' years, the company gained an international reputation for being media shy. The company itself being understaffed, didn't commit themselves to trade shows and only granted interviews once their current project was completed. Tim Stamper said in a ''[[CRASH (magazine)|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 ''didn't'' work were 2:00-8:00 am.[http://www.crashonline.org.uk/51/ultimate.htm]
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| Continuing this tradition, Rare has always kept the media at arm's length, though in part this may be due to their close involvement with the game industry's other famed recluse: Nintendo. The Japanese office of this company has always tightly controlled press access to developers working on its titles (as studios such as [[Rockstar North|DMA]], [[Factor 5]], [[Monster Games]], [[Retro Studios]] and former members of [[Argonaut Software]] can attest). However, Rare's reticence to deal with the media may also relate to an incident in which they traded-off two UK television series (''[[Gamesmaster]]'' and ''[[Bad Influence]]'') against one another. This backfired on Rare, with the presenter of one, [[Dominik Diamond]], branding Rare's management as "the physically unattractive Stamper brothers".
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| In November 2006 Rare granted video game website [[Eurogamer]] a "rare" look around their studio.
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| ==Future Titles==
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| ''[[Banjo-Kazooie 3]]'' was announced at Microsoft's [[X (Xbox show)#X06|X06]] event in [[Barcelona, Spain]]. The official title of the game has not been confirmed by Rare. | |
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| At [[Comic-Con]] 2007 a port of the critically acclaimed ''[[Viva Piñata (Nintendo DS)|Viva Pinata]]'' was announced for the [[Nintendo DS]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamestooge.com/2007/07/30/comic-con-viva-pinata-ds-announced | last=Grimes| first=Devin | title=Comic-Con: Viva Pinata DS Announced | publisher=[[2old2play.com]] | date=2007-07-30 | accessdate=2007-07-30}}</ref>
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| == Absence of Rare titles for Virtual Console ==
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| On [[March 26]] [[2006]], [[Matt Casamassina]], Editor-in-Chief of IGN Wii, had announced in his blog that Nintendo's [[Virtual Console]] service, a feature which allows players to download games from the history of Nintendo, will be "Rareless". He stated that he had "met with some Rare/Microsoft staff" while attending the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]], who reportedly confirmed that the Virtual Console will not see any Rare-owned licenses. The ''Donkey Kong'' games that were developed by Rare, remain unaffected since Nintendo retains the rights to the ''Donkey Kong'' series (which was Nintendo's creation to begin with).
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