Rare
| Rare
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | |
| founding | 1985 |
| Seat | Twycross, England UK |
| management | Craig Duncan |
| Number of employees | ~ 200 (2008) |
| Branch | Software development |
| Website | www.rare.co.uk |
Rare , as rare or rare commodity known, a British development studio of video games . Rare developed for years exclusively for Nintendo - game consoles , to the studio in 2002 by Microsoft was adopted and since then exclusively as a first-party developer for the US parent company operates. The company was founded in 1985 by Tim and Chris Stamper , who resigned from management at the turn of the year 2006/2007. After their resignation, Mark Betteridge and Gregg Mayles took over management of the company. Rare was originally called Ashby Computer Graphics (ACG) and released the games under the name Ultimate Play The Game .
To date, Rare has developed numerous well-known and successful video games , especially for Nintendo , including: Battletoads , Donkey Kong Country , 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, and Star Fox Adventures .
history
Rare was founded in its current form in 1985 and emerged from the Ashby Computer Graphics studio , which was founded in 1982 and developed games for numerous systems under the name Ultimate Play the Game , including the ZX Spectrum home computer . From the late 1980s, Rare began developing software for game consoles, in particular for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). With titles like Marble Madness , Jeopardy! or Wizards & Warriors , the company celebrated great success. Battletoads , published in 1991, also represented a milestone .
After the development of Battletoads , Rare, who had developed more than 50 games for the NES by then, withdrew temporarily to realign the company in the 16-bit console market. The publications of the past years had been lucrative and had given the company a financial cushion. However, from a technical and creative point of view, the company's management was dissatisfied. In 1994 Nintendo took over 49% of the shares in Rare. A long-lasting phase of cooperation began, from now on Rare developed exclusively for Nintendo consoles.
Rare's next bigger game, Donkey Kong Country , was first shown at Summer CES in June 1994 and sold millions of copies during the 1994 Christmas season. The impressive graphics were essential to the success of the title. A process developed by Chris Stamper made it possible for the first time to use pre-rendered 3D graphics on the 2D SNES console . Donkey Kong Country received two sequels again developed by Rare at the SNES, which were also very successful. With the Donkey Kong Land series, three offshoots for the Game Boy followed .
When the Nintendo 64 came out in 1996, Rare was one of the main developers for this platform. Within just a few years, Rare developed a large number of video games that were successful worldwide and highly acclaimed by critics, including GoldenEye 007 , Diddy Kong Racing , Perfect Dark , Banjo-Kazooie , Donkey Kong 64 , Jet Force Gemini , Blast Corps , Banjo-Tooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day .
In the early 2000s, an option matured that allowed Nintendo to take over the remaining 51% of Rare. Nintendo let this option pass and so Rare looked for another buyer. The company Microsoft and Activision fought took over 100% of a bidding war before the end Microsoft Rare for 375 million US dollars. Since then, Rare has been developing exclusive titles for the Microsoft consoles Xbox , Xbox 360 and Xbox One . The last game newly developed by Rare and published directly through Nintendo was Star Fox Adventures , although Rare released a few games for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in the following years , including some remakes of old classics.
The rights to some characters in the games that Rare had developed for Nintendo consoles were acquired by Nintendo, for example Diddy Kong . However, Rare retained its major licenses and brands such as B. Perfect Dark , Banjo-Kazooie and Conker .
In the following years, Rare published games that were already in development for Nintendo's Gamecube . Neither Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kameo Elements of Power nor Perfect Dark Zero were able to build on old successes, especially in terms of sales figures. Viva Pinata appeared in 2006 and a little later in 2007 the founders Tim and Chris Stamper left the company. Long-time Rare employees Gregg Mayles and Mark Betteridge took over the leadership, but the games Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise and Banjo Kazooie Screw Locker , which were released in 2008, were not successful either.
After the failures, Microsoft restructured the studio in 2009. As a result, many long-term employees had to leave the studio and Rare developed games for Microsoft's Kinect from now on . In 2010 Scott Henson replaced the previous management team and her first Kinect game appeared with Kinect Sports . After all these years Rare was able to celebrate another success. Kinect Sports sold a total of over 6 million times, the last time GoldenEye 007 succeeded. In 2013 Scott Henson was replaced by Craig Duncan, who now heads the studio.
After the disappointing game Kinect Sports Rivals, some employees had to leave the studio again, they later founded the Playtonic Games studio. Rare is now developing traditional games again. In 2015, Rare Replay was released as part of its 30th anniversary. In 2018 the online game Sea of Thieves was released for the Xbox One & Windows 10 , which reached over 2 million players in the first week.
Games
1983-1989
| title | Platform (s) | Initial release |
|---|---|---|
| Atic Atac | ZX Spectrum | 1983 |
| JetPac | ZX Spectrum, BBC, VC-20 | 1983 |
| PSSST | ZX Spectrum | 1983 |
| Trans Am | ZX Spectrum | 1983 |
| Alien 8 | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, BBC, MSX | 1984 |
| Cookie | ZX Spectrum | 1984 |
| Entombed | C64 | 1984 |
| Knight Lore | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, BBC, MSX | 1984 |
| Lunar Jetman | ZX Spectrum, BBC | 1984 |
| Saber Wulf | ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, BBC | 1984 |
| The Staff of Karnath | C64 | 1984 |
| Underwurlde | ZX Spectrum, C64 | 1984 |
| Blackwyche | C64 | 1985 |
| Nightshade | ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, BBC, MSX | 1985 |
| Pentagram | ZX Spectrum, MSX | 1985 |
| Cosmic Battlezones | BBC | 1986 |
| Cyberun | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX | 1986 |
| Dragonskulle | C64 | 1986 |
| Gunfright | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX | 1986 |
| Imhotep | C64 | 1986 |
| Outlaws | C64 | 1986 |
| Vs. slalom | Nintendo Vs. system | 1986 |
| Bubbler | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, MSX | 1987 |
| Martianoids | ZX Spectrum, MSX | 1987 |
| slalom | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1987 |
| Wizards & Warriors | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1987 |
| Anticipation | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1988 |
| Jeopardy! | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1988 |
| RC Pro-Am | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1988 |
| The Collected Works | ZX Spectrum | 1988 |
| Wheel of Fortune | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1988 |
| California Games | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Cobra Triangle | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Hollywood Squares | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Jeopardy! Junior Edition | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| John Elway's quarterback | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Jordan vs. Bird: One on One | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Marble Madness | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Sesame Street: 123 | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Sesame Street: ABC | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Silent Service | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Taboo: The Sixth Sense | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Wheel of Fortune: Junior Edition | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| World Games | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
| WWF Wrestlemania | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1989 |
1990-1999
| title | Platform (s) | Initial release |
|---|---|---|
| A Nightmare on Elm Street | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Arch Rivals: A Basket Brawl! | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Cabal | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Captain Skyhawk | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Digger T. Rock: The Legend Of The Lost City | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Double dare | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary Edition | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Narc | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Pinbot | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Snake rattle 'n' roll | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Super Glove Ball | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Great off road | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | Game Boy | 1990 |
| Time lord | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Wheel of Fortune: Family Edition | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Wizards & Warriors X: Fortress of Fear | Game Boy | 1990 |
| WWF Wrestlemania Challenge | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 |
| Battletoads | Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy | 1991 |
| Beetlejuice | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1991 |
| High speed | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1991 |
| Pirates! | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1991 |
| Sesame Street ABC & 123 | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1991 |
| Sneaky snakes | Game Boy | 1991 |
| Great RC Pro-Am | Game Boy | 1991 |
| WWF superstars | Game Boy | 1991 |
| Battletoads | Amiga | 1992 |
| Beetlejuice | Game Boy | 1992 |
| Championship Pro-Am | Mega drive | 1992 |
| Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1992 |
| RC Pro-Am II | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1992 |
| Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1992 |
| Battletoads | Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear | 1993 |
| Battletoads Double Dragon | NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy | 1993 |
| Battletoads in Battlemaniacs | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1993 |
| Battletoads in Ragnarok's World | Game Boy | 1993 |
| Snake rattle 'n' roll | Mega drive | 1993 |
| X The Ball | Arcade | 1993 |
| Battletoads | Arcade, Amiga CD32 | 1994 |
| Battletoads in Battlemaniacs | Sega Master System | 1994 |
| Donkey Kong Country | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1994 |
| Killer instinct | Arcade | 1994 |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1995 |
| Donkey Kong Land | Game Boy | 1995 |
| Killer instinct | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy | 1995 |
| Killer Instinct 2 | Arcade | 1995 |
| Monster max | Game Boy | 1995 |
| Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1996 |
| Donkey Kong Land 2 | Game Boy | 1996 |
| Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1996 |
| Killer Instinct Gold | Nintendo 64 | 1996 |
| Blast Corps | Nintendo 64 | 1997 |
| Diddy Kong Racing | Nintendo 64 | 1997 |
| Donkey Kong Land III | Game Boy | 1997 |
| GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | 1997 |
| Banjo kazooie | Nintendo 64 | 1998 |
| Conker's Pocket Tales | Game Boy Color | 1999 |
| Donkey Kong 64 | Nintendo 64 | 1999 |
| Jet Force Gemini | Nintendo 64 | 1999 |
| Mickey's Racing Adventure | Game Boy Color | 1999 |
Since 2000
| title | Platform (s) | Initial release |
|---|---|---|
| Banjo Tooie | Nintendo 64 | 2000 |
| Donkey Kong Country | Game Boy Color | 2000 |
| Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong | Game Boy Color | 2000 |
| Mickey's Speedway USA | Nintendo 64 | 2000 |
| Perfect Dark | Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64 | 2000 |
| Conker's Bad Fur Day | Nintendo 64 | 2001 |
| Mickey's Speedway USA | Game Boy Color | 2001 |
| Star Fox Adventures | GameCube | 2002 |
| Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge | Game Boy Advance | 2003 |
| Donkey Kong Country | Game Boy Advance | 2003 |
| Grabbed by the Ghoulies | Xbox | 2003 |
| Donkey Kong Country 2 | Game Boy Advance | 2004 |
| Saber Wulf | Game Boy Advance | 2004 |
| Banjo pilot | Game Boy Advance | 2005 |
| Conker: Live & Reloaded | Xbox | 2005 |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 | Game Boy Advance | 2005 |
| It's Mr. Pants | Game Boy Advance, Mobile phone | 2005 |
| Cameo: Elements of Power | Xbox 360 | 2005 |
| Perfect Dark Zero | Xbox 360 | 2005 |
| Viva piñata | Windows, Xbox 360 | 2006 |
| Diddy Kong Racing DS | Nintendo DS | 2007 |
| Jetpac Refueled | Xbox Live Arcade | 2007 |
| Banjo-Kazooie: screw loose | Xbox 360 | 2008 |
| Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise | Nintendo DS | 2008 |
| Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise | Xbox 360 | 2008 |
| Kinect Sports | Xbox 360 | 2010 |
| Kinect Sports: Season Two | Xbox 360 | 2011 |
| Killer instinct | Xbox One | 2013 |
| Kinect Sports Rivals | Xbox One | 2014 |
| Rare replay | Xbox One | 2015 |
| Sea of Thieves | Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | 2018 |
| Everwild | Windows, Xbox Series X | in development |
Web links
- Official website
- Link catalog on the subject of Rare, Ltd. (English) at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Men Who Knew Too Much (page 4). In: MundoRare. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
- ^ Steven L. Kent: The Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press / Random House, 2001. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4 . Pp. 441-442. - Chris Stamper (Co-Founder Rare Ltd): "As creative people, we didn't want to be a sort-of conversion house for major third-party developers." Joel Hochberg (co-founder Rare Ltd.): “... we didn't like what we saw. Too many companies were making 8-bit games for a 16-bit machine. "
- ^ Steven L. Kent: The Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press / Random House, 2001. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4 . Pp. 490-493, 496-497.
- ↑ Ryan McCaffrey: IGN Unfiltered 08: Xbox Co-Creator Ed Fries. In: IGN. June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018 (American English).
- ↑ Brendan Sinclair: Stamper brothers leave Rare. In: GameSpot. January 3, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2018 (American English).
- ↑ Xbox manager Scott Henson to head up Rare . In: Engadget . ( engadget.com [accessed June 4, 2018]).
- ↑ Thank You for Supporting Our Sea of Thieves Voyage - Xbox Wire. Retrieved June 4, 2018 (American English).