Rare Co-Founders Leave Company

1up reports on the departure of Rare co-founders Chris and Tim Stamper. They, along with company president Joel Hochberg, founded the company more than two decades ago. They've been with Rare through the good (Wizards and Warriors) the great (GoldenEye), and the disappointing (Perfect Dark Zero). The news site now reports they left the company at the end of last year. From the article: "The Stampers' exodus comes just four years after Microsoft acquired Rare from Nintendo for $375M. Since that acquisition, Rare has published five games for Microsoft Game Studios. In addition to Pinata, the Rare released Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero at the Xbox 360's launch and shipped Conker: Live & Reloaded and Grabbed By the Ghoulies on the original Xbox. While it seems unlikely that Microsoft has recouped their original investment in Rare, the company maintains that the studio is 'the cornerstone of Microsoft Game Studios' broadening strategy.'" N'Gai, over at Newsweek, has an interesting additional viewpoint on this departure: Phil Harrison's view on Rare. The unpublished exchange from his earlier interview with the PlayStation worldwide studios boss is interesting, as is N'Gai's blunt appraisal of the company since its purchase.

"Just"?

[RingDev]

just four years after Microsoft acquired Rare

Just 4 years? In the gaming industry 4 years is an eternity. How many of todays game studios existed 4 years ago? How many of the game studios of 4 years ago still exist today?

-Rick

Re:

[brkello]

In the game industry, it takes multiple years just to make a game. So no, that isn't very long. Particularly for a company that has been around as long as Rare.

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[RingDev]

It takes 2-5 years to make a AAA game. I would venture a guess that most game development studios fold, are bought out, or majorly restructure in 1-3 years.

-Rick

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[Pancake Bandit]

Only a few new console game developers appear each year- the vast majority of games are produced by "older" companies like THQ, SE, EA, Nintendo, Capcom, Sony, M$, etc. New developers usually start with computer games, because they're easier to develop, can be distributed online, and don't have to be the same scope as console games. Computer gaming is also a much larger audience than consoles. The one exception to this is the games you can pay to download from XBox Live.

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[tepples]

Computer gaming is also a much larger audience than consoles.

That's not what I've seen. Most computer gaming is for one player per computer. Very few big-name computer games support split-screen play or Bomberman style shared-view play on a home theater PC connected to a four-foot plasma TV.

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[Pancake Bandit]

I meant that there are more computer gamers (whether "hardcore" gamers, kids playing a Spongebob game, or adults playing sudoku), and a greater variety of them, than with console gamers.

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[edwdig]

Computer gaming is also a much larger audience than consoles.

If you count people who play Solitare and Bejeweled, yeah.

If limit it to people who be willing to spend $20 on a game without agonizing over the decision, you're already significantly smaller than the console market.

If you limit it to people willing to pay $40+ for a game, computer gaming is negligible. It's only profitable because the development & publishing costs are a LOT less than for console games.

If your goal is to get people to play yo

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[xtracto]

If limit it to people who be willing to spend $20 on a game without agonizing over the decision, you're already significantly smaller than the console market.

You do not know what you are talking about.

You just have to take a look at tacticsarena.com or runescape.com or neopets.com (my girlfriend used to play that) or any one of the thousands of online games in which you can subscribe or get some "extras" for some cash. Those are the games for the "non hardcore" gamer. People that just wont buy a console but

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[TranscendentalAnarch]

3DRealms has been around forever.

the Rare?

[game kid]

In addition to Pinata, the Rare released Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero at the Xbox 360's launch and shipped Conker: Live & Reloaded and Grabbed By the Ghoulies on the original Xbox.

I wonder if they've partnered with the Google [thinkprogress.org].

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[Sciros]

Frankly I don't think Rare has had the vision for a KI3 for some time now. I have these really faint hopes of someone actually getting clever enough to purchase that license from them and develop a proper, worthy title. But it will never happen. Also, I can't think of a reliable enough development house.. maybe Team Ninja (they took Ninja Gaiden to a whole new level, maybe they can show KI as much respect). They'd have to be careful not to put DOA mechanics in there, but since NG has none I wouldn't be conc

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[KDR_11k]

Do you think those guys did the actual coding? If MS says "make KI3" the employees of the company make KI3.

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[Millenniumman]

No. The answer is "whomever Nintendo wants".

They are wanted by Nintendo.

They do not Nintendo wants.

Purchase wasn't to make big bucks

[Sciros]

I seriously doubt Microsoft bought Rare with the intention of making huge profits off them. For a game company to make back $375 million they have to throw a pretty good number of big titles out there (3 Halo 2-sized ones or so). No way Microsoft expected that. I think it was more than anything part of their "we have so much money to burn let's just do it now and then bet on profits in the next console generation" plan, which involved hamstringing Nintendo by taking away their most important developer.

After all, if not for Rare, N64 would not have had half of the game lineup that it did. Banjo 1 and 2, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct Gold, DK 64. A monster list, really. And they also made the SNES's final two years great with DKC, DKC2, and KI. Microsoft likely wanted to deprive a major competitor of such a game lineup more than anything else.

Rare was worked hard by Nintendo. They released something like 2 games per year. Microsoft hasn't done that to them at all. In fact, the first game Rare released after Microsoft acquired them was for the Game Boy Advance (that silly Banjo game).

Granted, it wasn't the same Rare anymore at that point anyway, and of course some time had to be taken to get used to writing for the Xbox rather than Nintendo's systems, but IMO nothing points at Microsoft expecting a profit from their purchase of Rare any time soon (if ever).

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[gmezero]

I frequently like to point out whenever someone likes to state that Microsoft bought Rare to hurt Nintendo, that they're smokin' crack. Bad 2'dolla ho crack at that.

Rare was on the decline with Nintendo internally when Microsoft bought them. My understanding is that Nintendo was happy with the deal because they got to hamstring Rare onto Microsoft as a sinkhole. You can read my on-the-spot rant from 2002 here [gamezero.com] for my true feelings about the matter. :)

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[Sciros]

Well, okay, given that Nintendo was happy with the deal (after all, that's a lot of money and I agree Rare was not having great relations with Nintendo at that point in time), how does that contradict what I figured of Microsoft's intentions? Whether or not Nintendo saw Rare as a lost cause, it still doesn't make sense to say MS was actually thinking of profiting with them. I stand by my thinking that Rare would have done more for Nintendo than they have done for Microsoft. (Star Fox Adventures notwithstan

Re:Purchase wasn't to make big bucks

[gmezero]

Ah contrare... The perception many of us had was that this purchase of Rare was a case in point example of just how out of touch Microsoft was with hot development houses. I'm sure they saw a chance to score "Nintendo's ace in the hole" and profit. There is nothing in my interactions with people in the industry at the time that ever indicated otherwise. Those of us with a clue just sat back and chuckled that Nintendo snooker'd them. I might even go so far as to say that Nintendo blessed the deal as a way for Rare to bow out and save face. But that speculation is for the pervuew of CEO's and the like.

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[Chris Burke]

You can read my on-the-spot rant from 2002 here for my true feelings about the matter.

Yeah, especially when you consider that instead of Dinosaur Planet we got Starfox Adventures, I have to agree with that rant completely.

Now let's hope that Ubisoft doesn't go the same route, though they too are showing signs.

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[hansamurai]

Don't forget Blast Corps [wikipedia.org] for the N64. My teenage years would never have been the same if I hadn't had the opportunity to pilot a giant mecha through a metropolis knocking over anything in the path of a runaway semi carrying nuclear missiles. Hmmm... don't tell Jack about that one.

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[saviorsloth]

thanks for mentioning it man, i forgot that that game was pretty fucking sweet. i may have to go buy it sometime, should be pretty cheap by now.
i guess i'll also have to find my N64, whatever deep dark corner it's gotten into after all these years...

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[Mushdot]

I bought Blast Corps recently for my N64 because I love that game so much. It's a lot of fun.
It would make a good VC purchase for the Wii too.

Purchase made big bucks for everyone but MS

[Anonymous Coward]

The Stamper brothers offered first sale of their 51% share in the company to Nintendo. When Nintendo declined the offer, they also agreed with the Stampers' plans to sell to the next bidder on the list, Microsoft. Nintendo sold their 49% back to the Stampers so as to remove themselves immediately from any press about a potential bidding war that would look like they would ultimately lose (a distortion of events they themselves were setting underway), then the Stampers sold and Microsoft bought. There was

A question

[SimDarth]

I wonder if they are going to rest on their buyout or start another game company. Of course, I guess that depends on if they are under a non-compete agreement.

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[drinkypoo]

I wonder if they are going to rest on their buyout or start another game company. Of course, I guess that depends on if they are under a non-compete agreement.

This raises an interesting point... if I sign a noncompete clause in TX or WA, where it might hold up, and then move to CA (well I live there now but you get the idea) can they successfully sue me under the noncompete agreement in the original state if I'm working in California, where noncompete agreements are pretty much useless?

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[Aladrin]

IANAL blah blah blah

Yes, they can. They can simply say that they are suing you in TX or WA, wherever they have an office, and especially where you signed the papers, and make you go to that court for the lawsuit.

Selling snow to Eskimos

[wandazulu]

I'm still shocked that Microsoft bought Rare; they were already on the downward slide during the N64's lifetime (which could arguably be said to have started with Banjo Kazooie as a far more colorful and better designed game than Mario64 (which to me always seemed more like a really fun demo). BK was awesome, Diddy Kong Racing was a much better version than MarioKart, and GoldenEye was their zenith. After that, what more did they release? Banjo Twooie, which was in no way what had been eluded to, but seemed like a warmed-over DK. Perfect Dark Zero? Sorry, Laura Croft was still too much in her heyday to start another "chick-with-guns-oh-my!" franchise, and it too had the warmed over glow of a GoldenEye codebase with different graphics. Conker's Bad Fur Day was the real tell-tale sign of a slide. It was, I believe, the last cart released for the N64 by anybody, and instead of something cool, we got a South Park inspired DK (again!).

Then they basically sat out the XBox, Ghoulies notwithstanding. To think that after, what, 4 years, the best they could come up with was a mediocre platformer (again a modified DK ripoff) and then a *port*? An almost 1-for-1 port of BFD? *That* was the best they could come up with?

Meanwhile I recall reading an article about Rare's headquarters, and how they have these "sheds" with developers busily working away on games. What games? What justifies having such a large operation and put out the same warmed-over stuff again and again. Oh, right, they were working on the 360 launch title. What was that ground-breaking game? Perfect Dark Zero? No, really, what was it? I must have missed it.

The Stamper brothers are living proof that there are people who can sell snow to Eskimos. I would love to have seen the song-n-dance they threw for Microsoft to justify the price they paid. Microsoft threw their money away on a has-been who have been locked into this DK/GoldenEye glow for waaaay too long.

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[darrenf]

Sorry to drift slightly off-topic, but why do people always bash Conker's Bad Fur Day? It seems like no one played it since it came out so late in the N64's lifetime, thus it's OK to just write it off as a Banjo clone with potty humor...

...Well it is, more or less, but it's also an awesome game! Of RARE's three N64 platformer titles it is easily the best. Also, probably my favorite ending to a game, ever. Right up there next to Planescape: Torment. (Seriously-- and if you're interested, don't spoil it, y

Good point... and well made

[hudsonhawk]

I too loved Conker, and especially loved the ending. That they managed to pull a genuine and moving ending out of a crass parody of platformers and action movies just proves how brilliant that game was.

I'm not sure why but I never got too far in the remake though. I always meant to pick it back up, but I only got a couple hours into it. They somehow managed to create the most convoluted and confusing interface for the multiplayer ever... it might be the most fun XBL game ever made but I wouldn't know si

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[darrenf]

Glad I'm not the only one :)

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[Cu]

The ending was brilliant. I thought the last movie send-up was a bit thin, but the closing monologue was far better than any of the much-heralded drama of the GTA series. It was also an excellent way to bring an end to the cartridge era.

In it's entirety, the game ranks among my favorites of any platform at any time.

Sadly, I played the demo of the Xbox version, which focused on a bit of action in the fortress towards the end. Instead of the ominous timbre of the N64 version, the game played as a platform sho

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[stuffisgood]

Yeah that was the multiplayer part of the game..what you missed was the entire N64 game recreated with awesome graphics (and a few unexpected changes)...

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[wandazulu]

I did play it, and it has one of my favorite lines from any game: "It's context sensitive. That means ... it's sensitive ... to context." Dunno why but that line *still* makes me laugh.

Supposedly they'd been supposedly working on a Conker game since around the original BK came out. Okay, maybe it was late in the project and they realized it was too much like BK and they had to restart it. I agree with you in that it has the best story of any of the N64-era Rare games (PD definitely included).

My biggest issu

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[darrenf]

Point taken. Rare, where oh where did you go wrong? Didn't a bunch of developers leave Rare around that time, form Free Radical, and make those TimeSplitters games? They were fun although I never owned a PS2 so I didn't play them too much.

But yeah, since the N64 Rare has been more or less dead to me. I tried to but really couldn't care less about the Microsoft buyout nor this recent departure. As you said the real talent, or at least their inspiration, left long ago. I can see how BFD could be seen as a

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[kisrael]

Some of the lines were ok, but the voice acting was craptastic to say the least... like, middle school play level, with one guy asked to make up way more voices than he was ready for...

You give them less credit than they deserve

[Xest]

These comments seem rather unfair, do Rare constantly churn out killer games? No, sure they don't, however they do churn out the odd killer game, and when they do that game dwarfs all others in it's success. No one can argue the success of the Donkey Game series, particularly the earlier ones but more importantly, Goldeneye on the N64 is the largest selling FPS game of all time with only Halo 2 coming a close second - it beats Doom, Doom 2, Quake, Half-Life, Half-Life 2. Even if Rare only pulls off these ki

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[LordVader717]

No, you fail to grasp the point everyone else is getting at here: Rare used to consistently turn out solid games, but those times are gone, and this news story is just another reason why they will probably never come back. As to Kameo: I can't say, I haven't played it. All I do know is that I was looking forward to playing it back in 2000, when they presented it for the GameCube. That's how long it's been pushed around.

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[Xest]

I'm not sure how you can suggest Rare isn't still consistently churning out solid games when they're able to develop 3 - 4 platinum selling titles at once. They have more developers than ever allowing them to have multiple games in progress at a time and a large set of IP to aid in this. As I mentioned they only get lucky and release killer titles once every 5 - 10 years, as it's not even been 10 years since their last killer title, it's a little early to say they're not doing this anymore - again however,

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[DeeDob]

From their last 4 games:

Conker's Live and Reloaded is a good game. Saying it's "just another DK ripoff" is painting with a WIDE brush. They are both game in the same genre, but clearly not the same game. It's like saying Halo is a Doom ripoff and Forza is a Gran Turismo ripoff.

Kameo was a moderate success. Perfect Dark Zero was received well-enough by critics.

Viva Pinata, while not a commercial success so far, is a critically acclaimed game. Most gamers who played it were pleasantly surprised to have an act

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[Rayonic]

You (and everyone else) seem to have forgotten Jet Force Gemini. Arguably the best N64 game Rare ever made. Kameo and Viva Pinata were also pretty great too.

Frankly, it seems like new and original titles are rarely rewarded anymore. Bring on the sequels!

Soooo....

[Thumper_SVX]

I guess that means I'll never get that remake of Atic Atac I'd hoped for :)

Seriously... good for those guys. They produced some of my favorite games of all times (Lunar Jetman, Jetpac, Atic Atac, Sabrewulf and so on) and they deserve to retire and take it easy. Rare hasn't been Ultimate in a LOOOOONG time, and their games in the last few years have been mere shadows of really good games. About time guys.. go... relax... enjoy.

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[Tet]

Rare hasn't been Ultimate in a LOOOOONG time, and their games in the last few years have been mere shadows of really good games.

Agreed. IMHO they hit their high point with "Underwurlde" and "Knight Lore". They milked their success a bit with "Alien 8", and it's been pretty much downhill since then.

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[mosschops]

I guess that means I'll never get that remake of Atic Atac I'd hoped for :)

*waves wand*

http://retrospec.sgn.net/game-overview.php?link=at ic [sgn.net]

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[DashBoard on Roof's]

Most FPS seems garbage compared to n64 perfect dark :).

long live Rareware

[namekuseijin]

Battletoads, Wizards & Warriors, Snake Rattle and Roll, Solar Jetman, RC Pro A.M., DKC, Goldeneye, Banjo & Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day... so many great games! R.I.P....

fuck M$!