 09-24-2002, 08:02 PM | #1 |
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The purchase of Rare. Quote: A Rare Deal
GoldenEye Developer Now Only On Xbox
In a $375 million deal that's the talk of the industry, Microsoft has acquired Rare Ltd., the video game development house responsible for console classics like GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and Perfect Dark. The announcement of the deal came from Seville, Spain, where this year's XO2 event is in full swing.
Chris Stamper, chairman and technical director of Rare, said, "Our mission at Rare has always been to make the industry's best games for the widest possible audience. Teaming with Microsoft gives us the best opportunity to accomplish this goal." The UK-based company (which will remain on the far side of the pond) will immediately begin work on Xbox titles exclusively.
"The last time I was this excited was the first time I picked up a controller and played a game from Rare," said Ed Fries, vice president of Xbox Game Content at Microsoft. After Rare's Donkey Kong Country went on to sell over 8 million copies (becoming the best-selling 16-bit console game in history), GoldenEye 007 did the same for the N64—in fact, of the top 20 N64 games of all time, five were developed by Rare, including the beloved James Bond shooter and its sibling in espionage, Perfect Dark.
"We've always insisted on pushing the envelope when it comes to creativity," added Rare co-founder and creative director Tim Stamper. "And now we get the chance to create for Xbox." Rare plans to develop at least five games over the next two years in a variety of genres, including racing, shooters and platformers. First up will be the new Kameo roleplaying adventure game (see sidebar); Xbox gamers can also look forward to a new take on the action-packed platform series Banjo-Kazooie and the next installment of the FPS spy thriller Perfect Dark.
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