Rare has been quieter and quieter as time has gone on. Once a superpower at Nintendo, they stole the spotlight with games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Banjo Kazooie. Ever since their high profile purchase by Microsoft in 2002, though, the company has been pretty silent. Perhaps it was the expectations surrounding all of their games that pushed them into obscurity. Either way, I find it kind of crazy that their latest game is Kinect Sports. If not for the fancy new logo at start-up, the game would be completely unrecognizable as a Rare release.
These days, it seems the biggest news coming out of the studio is that of new hires. Last year, former Microsoft executive Scott Henson took over as studio manager of the company, and now the team has brought in Craig Duncan (formerly of Sumo Digital) to take on the role of development director. His responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of product development and talent management at the studio.
Duncan has worked on several popular game series in the past, including Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Overlord, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Colin McRae 04. I’d say the first two, at least, have some strong parallels with much of Rare’s catalog, so he may end up a great fit for the company.
Rumor has it that Rare’s next game will be Kinect Sports 2, and some speculate the company’s continued existence could be banking on that game’s success. Hopefully Duncan will help to bring the company continued stability, but I can’t help but feel that if Rare were quietly shut down, most people wouldn’t even notice. As a huge fan of the studio, for me the thought is incredibly depressing. Here’s hoping they last long enough to bring back some of the colorful creativity that made the company so exciting.
