Rare: The Full Story

[DeathsHand]

http://cube.ign.com/articles/370/370713p1.html

Uh yeah... errmm... :unsure:

IT'S BULLOCKS!... :sneaky:

uhh... :unsure:

From IGN, fo sho!

In past months, UK development studio Rare has been the subject of a seemingly endless stream of rumors, all of them suggesting the company would break from Nintendo's wings and possibly join with a new publisher. Now we have the full story, anonymously confirmed by numerous credible, high-level insiders. The reports are true. We stake our reputation on it.
Nintendo, formerly a 49% shareholder in Rare, had the chance to purchase the company outright nearly a year ago, but refused, according to high-ranking sources. With Rare software contributions amounting to only 9.5% of total revenues in Nintendo's fiscal 2001 year, and a miniscule 1.5% in fiscal 2002, the publisher weighed the benefits and drawbacks of making additional investments in Rare and decided against it.

Rare went on the market. Publishers bid on the company. Activision and Microsoft were both interested in acquiring Rare, but it was Microsoft who won out and delivered the asking prices for the developer and Nintendo's 49% stake in it. Nintendo sold all of its shares in Rare, according to insiders, and the studio's second-party status was terminated.

The obvious questions then: why all of the secrecy and why haven't Rare, Nintendo or Microsoft made any announcements? The truth is that the details have not been finalized. Insiders allege that Nintendo and Rare are still haggling over licenses, and specifically whether or not Rare will be able to purchase the properties it worked on under the Nintendo brand, including Perfect Dark and other trademarks Nintendo holds. Franchises and characters created and owned by Nintendo, of course, including Donkey Kong, will remain in Nintendo's control. An official announcement, though, is not far off. The latest word is that the news will be made public at Microsoft's X02 Europe event which begins September 24 in Seville, Spain.

Meanwhile, sources indicate that Nintendo plans to utilize some of the money it made in the selling of its Rare shares to entice other development studios to make GameCube software, fund new games, and more. The company's de-emphasized focus on a second-party model and its new partnerships with Namco, Sega, Capcom and others exemplifies its change in development philosophy, and leaves no room for an expensive investment in Rare.

Look for much more on this major news as it develops.

[GameMaster]

Fine with me. I'm kinda dissappointed with the direction StarFox went anyways. :unsure: Dinosaur Planet? :unsure:

[Ginkasa]

Originally posted by GameMaster
Fine with me. I'm kinda dissappointed with the direction StarFox went anyways. :unsure: Dinosaur Planet? :unsure:

Actually, you should be disappointed with the direction Dinosaur Planet went. :unsure: Star Fox? :unsure:

Dinosaur Planet was originally going to be an N64 game without Star Fox but when they decided to make it for the GCN instead (when the game virtually completed for the N64) they made it a Star Fox game.


Anyway, about the Rare thing....


While I don't see Rare would go exclusive from one console to the next, I don't really mind. By the time Rare will have released a game I'll already have an XBox so...

*shrugs*

[DeathsHand]

Originally posted by Ginkasa
By the time Rare will have released a game I'll already have an XBox so...

Same here :D

I hope :unsure:

And about Dinosaur Planet... for all we know they were planning on it being a star fox game all along... but they kept it one of those little secrets for a little while like Rare/Nintendo likes to do, and then WHAM LOOK IT'S A STAR FOX TITLE OMG AMAZING!!!

But yeah it is still kinda weird... I mean I guess they could make it work... I mean who's to say there's no "Dinosaur Planet" in the starfox... game.. realm......... thing..... :unsure:

uh but yeah... bye

[DarkMaster]

well here's the way i see it, if dinosaur planet stared some character named John Smith instead of Fox McCloud, i couldnt care less. either way tis a fine game. and after sfa i dont really have any interests in rare (well actually i never did, but sfa just looks so damn sweet!!). and if i get a job, then perhaps i'll get an xbox, unless i'm too lazy, which i usually am....meh

[Perfect Stu]

you know what they say about chicks that look like beavers...

never let a beaver near thy wood...

:sneaky:

*reads topic*

OH!

heh heh...

heh...

eh...

:unsure:

Go Nintendo? :D

:unsure:

*gets kicked in the balls by a random GT member*

[Crono]

I'm kinda dissapointed with SFA on a certain level, although I still think its awesome, well sounds awesome anyway, I dont like how they copied the Zelda battle system, I would have much rathered them create a new battle system, and they should have kept the original characters IMO.

[DeathsHand]

I thought Rare was some big popular development team among Nintendo fans.... PERFECT DARK 0 W00T! STAR FOX ADVENTURES LOOKS AMAZING! OMG OMG!

And now it seems like most people are saying they're a bit dissapointed even in SFA... ? :unsure:

Odd...

[Ginkasa]

Typical isn't it? Nintendo has something and the fanboys are all over it and its games but Nintendo loses that something it doesn't matter at all. It sucked anyway :D

[Null]

SFA quite possibly could be the best GC game to date.

as for PD0 was it ever even officialy announced? i thought i read it wasnt. and actually thought i read it was denied existance.

At any rate. i dont see why anyone would be upset abou this. the only game really announced is comeing. nothing else was around to even get exicted about.

wish rare the best of luck with MS tho.

[DarkMaster]

i think its cool that they designed the battle system like zelda's, it'll help with the wait for the true zelda game. its like zelda with a Fox!!! and a completely different storyline!!! and a completely different world!!! and a completely different graphic style!!! and a completely different cast of characters!!!.....ok, so its not that much like zelda....but either way. and by having Fox in the game you get those cool arwing flying/shooting levels...sweet. and you get a blue fox chick....uh, sweet? and most important of all (from nintendo's point of view), the game gets better recognition with the words "Star Fox" in the title "Star Fox Adventures". But i agree with Ginkasa, nintendo fanboys are like "yahoo!! Rare rules!! nintendo is the best!!" blah blah blah horsesh*t crap, and now Rare is leaving and they're like "yahoo!!! Rare is leaving!! they always sucked!!! we dont need them!!! nintendo rules!!" i wish someone would run them over....

[DeathsHand]

Yeah I don't think PD0 was ever officially announced... but people pretty much knew there'd be some kind of Rare FPS on the console eventually, and there were all those PD0 rumors and chit chat so yeah....

[DarkMaster]

i think i speak for myself when i say i dont care about PD0

[Bond]

You guys just don't like Rare anymore because Nintendo no longer owns it. Don't make excuses.

Yes, it is true. Everyone loved Rare and all their games, up until this story. Now all the GameCube fanboys will hate Rare, and they will all say they never liked their games and they won't like any of their new ones. Yet in fact they hyped them before all of this.

[Perfect Stu]

I agree with Bond

Nintendo fans loved Rare...

Donkey Kong Country!

Goldeneye!

Banjo-Kazooie!

Perfect Dark!

Now everyone isn't really looking forward to SFA...

:lol:

[Drunk Hobbit]

I'm proud to say I never loved Rare. :D

Never played Goldeneye, PerfectDark, Banjo Kazooie, etc.

Only Rare games I've played were Diddy Kong racing (pretty good), Banjo Tootie (could have done without that one), Conker's Bad Fur Day (pretty good but got bored with it).

Was really looking foward to SFA but after hearing how long it will be I was turned off. Don't want another game trying to extend the length by some stupid pointless repeatative missions or collecting. The graphics look great but the ugliest game (Animal Crossing) has won me over for the Fall game to get.

[Jason1]

Comon guys, lets not kid yourselves. This is a big loss for Nintendo.

And am I correct in saying that Rare is now a second party of Microsoft? Or are they 3rd party and still might make games for Gamecube?

[gekko]

I really don't care too much. Haven't been impressed with Rare very often. The old SNES games were great, Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye and DKR were great, but for the last few years on N64 they really sucked. Banjo-Tooie sucked ass. JFG was very disapointing. DK64 was horrible. PD was unimpressive. Conker was funny, but as a platformer it wasn't great, and it lost its appeal fast. And I've never been interested in SFA.

So personally, I don't care that they're gone. But I will miss Donkey Kong Racing :( Still, I think it's stupid that MS bought them. Then again, Xbox fans only buy thing because of hype, and the Rare name will fit right in. But Rare was good working with Nintendo, and everyone agrees Nintendo makes great games. Microsoft on the other hand, can't make a game to save their soul, so Rare loses the help and it stuck doing it on their own. Best of luck to them, but I'm not expecting the same stuff that we've seen before.

[The Germanator]

I'm pretty dissapointed now...I love Rare games and always have. I think I pretty much own all of em. And though they had some hiccups (DK64), they still made some of the best games out there, IMO. Well, I'll still be very excited to play Star Fox Adventures, and maybe I'll buy an Xbox when Rare starts making games for it, and hopefully it'll be even cheaper then or something.

[Null]

Originally posted by Bond
You guys just don't like Rare anymore because Nintendo no longer owns it. Don't make excuses.

Yes, it is true. Everyone loved Rare and all their games, up until this story. Now all the GameCube fanboys will hate Rare, and they will all say they never liked their games and they won't like any of their new ones. Yet in fact they hyped them before all of this.


someones sure sounding like a fanboy :D


maybe they were all rooting rare before cuz they were with nintendo. now they're not they're letting thier feelings out. (not all but some)

you cant honestly say they've been all that great as of late. speically since Conker came out. they've had nothing.

only rare game i have is Goldeneye (and it ownz)

IMO SFA will be fighting with metroid for Best GC game of 2002.


but ya run around sayin eveyrones a fanboy all the time. Who cares? let them be. but for the love of god, No one here has a freakin opinion anymore cuz they're all afriad of being called fanboys. if they are so be it. most are not tho. if they chose not to like a company for whatever reason it does not make them a fanboy.

[GameMaster]

Apparently, there are some people who feel that just because of recent events between Rare and Nintendo that suddenly myself and others are no longer looking foward to StarFox Adventures. Perhaps this is true for some of those individuals. However, there are those of us who were actually never enticed by this game, I for one. My loss of interest and dissappointment originates at the very beginning when we learn that StarFox and Dinosaur Planet are to be merged into one adventure. The Zelda style of play was what dissappointed me. I was hoping for an Arwing based adventure as were the first two titles, a continuation. That's what made StarFox games StarFox. Don't get me wrong now. I'm not saying this was the way it should of been. I understand that this is someone else's creation and this is their story, not mine. However, it's my opinion, that StarFox has been taking out of context and character. As far as myself and anyone else knew, StarFox was an exceptional fighter pilot. But where does his skill with the spear and magic from? I think it's kind of funny how quickly he picks this up. Oh well, no one's forcing me to buying it, right? :D

[TheGame]

This is funny...

anyways...

I look at it like this, Biggest loss to Nintendo since Aki (makers of thier best selling third party games last generation, WWF) The fact is, now Microsoft has the two best (home console) FPS makers in the world. For Gameplay on home consoles, Rare still is the best home console FPS creator, gekko can't even deny that ( ;) ), they just need the right game to put thier gameplay engine behind.

Rare may have been weak as of late too, but nobody can deny that they are still Nintendo's best second party.

Yeah I don't think PD0 was ever officially announced... but people pretty much knew there'd be some kind of Rare FPS on the console eventually, and there were all those PD0 rumors and chit chat so yeah....

"Perfect Dark 0" is the official name. It was On Nintendo's SW2001 and E3 2001/2002 show lists, but swifty pulled away before each show started. It is real, for some reason Nintendo kept pulling it from the official list.... we see why now.

[Blackmane]

I liked the looks of SFA before Rare left.

I like the looks of it after Rare left.

The game is still the same guys. I know MANY of you who said that they were at least looking forward to the game are now saying it sucks, and they never really liked Rare or there games.

Just admit your mad at Rare for leaving, we all are a little bit. Thats no reason to diss the same games we loved a year ago.

[thatmariolover]

Originally posted by Bond
You guys just don't like Rare anymore because Nintendo no longer owns it. Don't make excuses.

Yes, it is true. Everyone loved Rare and all their games, up until this story. Now all the GameCube fanboys will hate Rare, and they will all say they never liked their games and they won't like any of their new ones. Yet in fact they hyped them before all of this.

Yeah. I think Xbox fans all around have got a point. Many people are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that we don't have Rare anymore. Obviously they are in denial (one of the stages of depression).

I myself am terrified of the fact that Rare is now gone. But I also look at the benifits we may gain. Nintendo has made EXCELLENT choices when it comes to 2'nd party studios that they invest in. This money, as stated in the article above, will be used to found new development houses. So, in a way it's a double edged sword.

Life is like a box of choco... (Oh sh!+... I just quoted Forest Gump, runs away shreaking like a cheerleader).

[Angrist]

Let's just hope that Nintendo will make a FPS... the best one ever. :(

Anyway, Rare was cool, they've made some kick-@$$ games. But almost all their N64 games were made with the help of Ninty. So... are they good enough to keep up that pace?? We know what happened to Free Radicals, the team that made Golden Eye... The weird thing is, Nintendo and Rare put together a new team to make Perfect Dark, and that game turned out great, while TimeSplitters didn't... :unsure:

[Bube]

There's something else. Something most people don't see. It's not like Microsoft took Rare away from Nintendo. MS wanted to buy Rare, and Nintendo sold their shares to MS. So Nintendo practically gave Rare away.

I've always liked Rare, BTW.

http://btpgames.homestead.com/files/bkxbox.jpg
Banjo-Threeie on the X-Box! :p

[Shadow_Link]

It's a good thing I still have my Xbox :p.

Just as long as the quality of Rare titles does not suffer, I don't care which system they are on.

It is interesting though. The article stated how Nintendo and Rare were negotiating which titles would stay and which would go with Rare, such as PD... I'm not really sure on this, but weren't Rare's best selling titles their FPS's? GE and PD. If Nintendo manage to hold onto PD, then I am certain that development of the next game in the series will be handed over to Retro Studios, which recently turned 1st party. As many may know, Retro is comprised of some of the best 'FPS' developers in the world, people ranging from Half-life etc...

I guess in time everything will be known.

[Bube]

Did Retro turn 1st or 2nd party? As far as I know, 1st parties are developers who also make consoles. So Retro should be 2nd? Or not? Help?

[Crash]

Originally posted by Angrist
Let's just hope that Nintendo will make a FPS... the best one ever. :(

Anyway, Rare was cool, they've made some kick-@$$ games. But almost all their N64 games were made with the help of Ninty. So... are they good enough to keep up that pace?? We know what happened to Free Radicals, the team that made Golden Eye... The weird thing is, Nintendo and Rare put together a new team to make Perfect Dark, and that game turned out great, while TimeSplitters didn't... :unsure:

metroid?

[Idiot]

Well, the rumour mills trundling on....

[Null]

Originally posted by Crash
metroid? :eek: you'll get in trouble for saying that. metroid is every game type in the world but not FPS apartently.

[DeathsHand]

A lot of the game is from a first person perspective and and you have guns and shoot things... sure it doesn't have as much action as like quake or half-life or something probably, and it may have more adventure-ish stuff as well, but it also has shooting from a first person perspective ;)

Just like ED has monsters, guns, scares, and are trying to stay alive (but hey, in all games you're trying to stay alive :p) but SK is like "NO IT'S NOT A SURIVAL HORROR! IT JUST HAS SURVIVAL ELEMENTS AND HORROR ELEMENTS!"

;)

Seems like Nintendo and their second parties like to be too like... "Oh no, that term is to 'normal' for our game..." and Nintendo fans buy it and like to stress the fact that METROID IS A FIRST PERSON ADVENTURE AND ETERNAL DARKNESS IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!

:rolleyes:

:sneaky:

[Shadow_Link]

Originally posted by Bube
Did Retro turn 1st or 2nd party? As far as I know, 1st parties are developers who also make consoles. So Retro should be 2nd? Or not? Help?

They went from 2nd to 1st... And whoever gave you the idea that you have to make consoles to be a 1st party?

Nintendo fully own Retro Stdios now, hence they are a 1st party. Not only that, but there were stories that reported the transition from 2nd to 1st :D.

[Jason1]

Lets think of it this way guys...Nintendo SOLD their share's of Rare to microsoft for what is im sure an ungodly amount of cash. Just think of what Nintendo could do with the extra money.

[Null]

Originally posted by Bube
There's something else. Something most people don't see. It's not like Microsoft took Rare away from Nintendo. MS wanted to buy Rare, and Nintendo sold their shares to MS. So Nintendo practically gave Rare away.

I've always liked Rare, BTW.

http://btpgames.homestead.com/files/bkxbox.jpg
Banjo-Threeie on the X-Box! :p


thats what i been saying. if people would get mad. (which i dont know why they would) they should get mad at nintendo. nintendo sold them. its not like rare ditched them.

But good things always come of this. MS gets something they want. and im sure with the money Nintendo will get something they want.

not sure if rare will be able to get any of the characters it worked on when they were with ninteno. like banjo, or PD etc.

i guess IGN said they will have to buy thoes from nintendo. Some of them i dont know why nintendo would want tho. and they are in good terms with each other. so i think they'll prolly be able to buy them.

[Plastic0006]

noooo Don't let them buy banjo kazooie!!!

Will i be destined to play banjo kazooie on the xbox?? their crappy controller and billion dollar franchise of corporate america?

ok suppose i will no big deal right?? i said right!!??? :mad:

o well ill just eat this cheese burger :burger:

[The Germanator]

go to http://www.rarenet.com . They have an official e-mail from Nintendo explaining some things.

[BlueFire]

Originally posted by Bond
You guys just don't like Rare anymore because Nintendo no longer owns it. Don't make excuses.

Yes, it is true. Everyone loved Rare and all their games, up until this story. Now all the GameCube fanboys will hate Rare, and they will all say they never liked their games and they won't like any of their new ones. Yet in fact they hyped them before all of this. lmao... Here we go again.. You had to do that, eh Bond? :p

Well, Rare wasn't certainly one of my favorite developers. I didn't like their platformers a lot but I am looking forward to SFA. T'was a very good game when I played it on the demo. But...whatever... Platformers weren't really a huge thing for me. I can remember playing DKC on the SNES. Ah, those were the days. And of course, Rare had good FPS games. I really don't have an opinion for this. I just don't really care that much...'cept for PD:0. That would have been a nice game. But whatever.. :p

um.. What am I supposed to say now?


...Go Microsoft?

[GameKinG]

Well, rare was a pretty good dev, and it will be interesting to see what they do without nintendo (for all I care, I hope they fail, just sour grapes).

I also hope nintendo claims:

DK
SF
PD
BK
CBF

etc. under their name...I dont know how or why they would want to, but it seems fair to me, considering Ill never own a microsoft game system (likely).

Ysy for Nintendo's over-powering lawyers!

Meh, Id like rare more, but they release games slower then nintendo, even though some of it may be due to nintendo.

[GameKinG]

Found this:

Nintendo Denies Reported Willingness To Sell Rare Stake
Thursday September 12, 3:37 am ET


TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Nintendo Co. (J.NTD or 7974) Thursday denied a U.S. media report it is "willing to sell" a controlling stake in U.K. game software developer Rare Ltd.
There has been speculation about Microsoft Corp.'s interest in buying Rare to make more software exclusively for its Xbox console. A Nintendo spokesman said, hypothetically, the company would consider what to do with its Rare shareholding if actually contacted by Microsoft or Rare, but there hasn't been any such contact.

Nintendo owned 38% of Rare's voting rights through U.S. subsidiaries at the end of last March, but Rare hasn't supplied any software for Nintendo's Gamecube or Game Boy consoles over the past one year or so, the spokesman said.

The Los Angels Times said in a separate report Microsoft is interested in acquiring Rare, citing unnamed sources.

On the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday, Nintendo shares ended up 2.6% at Y14,380 Thursday. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed up 0.2% at 9415.23.

[Null]

Originally posted by GameKinG
Well, rare was a pretty good dev, and it will be interesting to see what they do without nintendo (for all I care, I hope they fail, just sour grapes).

I also hope nintendo claims:

DK
SF
PD
BK
CBF

etc. under their name...I dont know how or why they would want to, but it seems fair to me, considering Ill never own a microsoft game system (likely).

Ysy for Nintendo's over-powering lawyers!

Meh, Id like rare more, but they release games slower then nintendo, even though some of it may be due to nintendo.


every character or game license that ninteno owned before rare is defently thiers... aka DK, SF. other games that rare published under nintendos name would have to be bought from nintendo... aka pd, bk conker.. etc.

at least thats how i understood it from IGN.

and as for that last post.... nintendo denies it? :hmm: or they just deny selling thier shares in it? which would mean MS would own some or most shares and nintendo owns the other 30 something percent?

hmmm. something fishie. There was something said on Planetgamecube that they suspect that Nintendo still would have a Contract with rare that not even MS could break. not sure what that would mean either tho

[GameKinG]

Hmm...well they could mean what Im about to say:

As I understand it from various stories and backround info (plus searching for old banjo kazooie boxes) Nintendo is handing over Rareware Ltd, but a seperate company that we ussualy call rareware, as Rare Ltd, is 100% owned by nintendo. Under Rare Ltd is all the licenses, which by default would be nintendo's. So even games like PD, and Kameo would belong to nintendo without forking that sector over also.

Or so it seems...

[Angrist]

Hmm... this is getting weirder every day. Nintendo confirming AND denying it at the same time?? :hmm:

I would understand it if they let go Rare, but I was looking forward to PD0... :unsure:

And yeah, perhaps they could put Retro Studios on PD. Perhaps they'll be even more original...

[Ginkasa]

I'm confused!



*runs around in circles*


Somebody clear it up! End this madness!