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 The unpublished exchange from his earlier interview with the PlayStation worldwide studios boss is interesting, as is N'Gai's blunt appraisal of the company since its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.

Comments

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).

Re:Purchase wasn't to make big bucks

[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 for my true feelings about the matter. :)

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.

Re:"Just"?

[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