Microsoft Acquires Rare?

Microsoft buys game developer Rare on CNET.com (thanks Mike Martinez) is the news that follows hot on the heels of reports from the Tokyo Game Show that Nintendo had severed its ties with the developer of games such as Donkey Kong Country and Goldeneye. The story of the acquisition, which has been the subject of rumors for some time now (story), has not been confirmed by Microsoft, but the CNET story is based upon a quote from Peter MacDougall, executive vice president at Nintendo of America, who says: "The entire company has been sold to Microsoft."
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24.
 
This is of course just what MS want
Sep 21, 2002, 10:30
24.
This is of course just what MS want Sep 21, 2002, 10:30
Sep 21, 2002, 10:30
 
Hype!
Inevitable really.
Rare are a class act but then so are Nintendo.
The unison created great games developers.
I wonder if Rare were to start out with a fresh team if MS would influence them in the same way as Nintendo did.

Nintendo's attiude toward games rubbed off on the Rare team in a positive way.
Microsoft's attitude toward games is somewhat different surely.

Rare are going to have to draw on everything that Nintendo have taught them about games to remain credible cos I can't see MS being so influential. They just wave their wallets around when the going gets tough.


This comment was edited on Sep 21, 10:33.
23.
 
Is this a big deal?
Sep 21, 2002, 08:42
hkm
23.
Is this a big deal? Sep 21, 2002, 08:42
Sep 21, 2002, 08:42
hkm
 
Haven't all the original developers behind Star Fox, Goldeneye, Killer Instinct, etc. left Rare to form their own company (which still creates games for Nintendo)? It looks like all Microsoft gets from this is a company name. Why are the Stamper brothers selling anyway? Maybe they realize that Rare is going down the drain?

22.
 
Re: all your what are belong to who?
Sep 21, 2002, 08:32
22.
Re: all your what are belong to who? Sep 21, 2002, 08:32
Sep 21, 2002, 08:32
 
Unless they corrected the mistake in the article before I read it...

Aye, that's what happened... quotes are easy to get right on the web with copy/paste and all...
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
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21.
 
Re: Ummmm...
Sep 21, 2002, 07:56
21.
Re: Ummmm... Sep 21, 2002, 07:56
Sep 21, 2002, 07:56
 
Yea, cause we all know that if you are allowed to make over the top stuff with no restictions of content, you automaticly get game gold. Well, except for games like State of Emergency, Conkers Bad Fur day, Kingpin, and any other stupid game that serves no perpose but for 10-13 year kids to play it and go "Woah, he said the F-word. WOAH, He said it again!"

Out side of Conkers, Rare also had to their credit 2 Killer Instinct games that were pushing the limit of what was allowed in video games as far as violance goes.

And were the heck did you get the idea that MS has quality as a requirement for their developers. The X-Box has the highest crap to good game ratio I have ever seen. All the X Box fan boys say Halo is a great game. It was good, but I wouldn't say that it is great. So were are your other great titles?

The kind of games that I see advertised for X-box are the lamest kind. Shovel-ware meant to get casual gamers who are too stupid to think about looking up a review online or in a magazine to see if it is anygood or not and instead buy a game soly on the looks of the cover or on some ad that appeals to people who drink floor wax. Like that Golf game that was in EGM ads on the edge of 4 or 5 pages that depicts chearleaders spanking each other, or that Stuntman ripoff called Chase that replaces the stuntman with a woman trying to get video perverts to buy the game.

In all honesty, the only good x-box titles I have seen, have been Me-too titles that I can get for PS2, PC, and even gamecube. Between the X-Box's over bundance of crapware and the gamecube's lack of exclusive titles, I think that the PS2 is the system to have, though I still can see why it is the oldest of the three and not the cheapest...

20.
 
It does make sense
Sep 21, 2002, 07:34
20.
It does make sense Sep 21, 2002, 07:34
Sep 21, 2002, 07:34
 
It should be obvious to anyone who's ever played one of Rare's flagship titles that they don't need a mainstream entertainment license to make a great game.

19.
 
Re: Ummmm...
Sep 21, 2002, 05:59
19.
Re: Ummmm... Sep 21, 2002, 05:59
Sep 21, 2002, 05:59
 
You have to remeber that outside of Conkers Bad Fur Day, Nintendo kept a pretty tight rein on what they could and could not make. Whatever your opinion of MS, their games division is excellent and put no requirements on their develepors other than they want quality stuff for their money. Rare now has an opportunity to go way over the top and do whatever they want. I think we'll see some "coo shit" coming from them in the next few years.

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18.
 
Re: Why that much? msg #12
Sep 21, 2002, 05:31
18.
Re: Why that much? msg #12 Sep 21, 2002, 05:31
Sep 21, 2002, 05:31
 
actually, according to the article, Rare has rights to Perfect Dark, Banjo and Conker, not nintendo. Killer Instinct is the only one not mentioned to be either

17.
 
Re: Ummmm...
Sep 21, 2002, 01:07
Rigs
 
17.
Re: Ummmm... Sep 21, 2002, 01:07
Sep 21, 2002, 01:07
 Rigs
 
$500 million you say? For $500 million I'd tatoo 'Microsoft is my god' on the back of my head and go to conventions in a clown outfit until I'm 50. Who cares about integrity when I can come home at the end of the day in my new Ferrari to my new 100 room mansion?? Yeah, that's sounds about right...

=-Rigs-=

"Now, we gave you a promise and we are bound by that promise and damn you for asking for it! And damn me for agreeing to it! And damn all of us to hell, because that is exactly where we're going! We talked about peace. You didn't want peace. We talked about cooperation. You didn't want cooperation. You want war! Is that it? You want a war? Well you've got a WAR!"
- John Sheridan, Babylon 5
Dec 10th, '21 Mayfield EF4 tornado survivor
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16.
 
Ummmm...
Sep 20, 2002, 21:39
16.
Ummmm... Sep 20, 2002, 21:39
Sep 20, 2002, 21:39
 
You can hire lots of programmers, artists, and lead techs for that price. It just does not make sense.

Also about the "developer name" thing, Rare is not really all that well known with anything outside of Nintendo brands. You say that they can take "anything" and make it brilliant. Well I guess it sure helps when you get handed the likes of Donkey Kong and the James Bond licenses doesn't it?

Add to the fact that their last two attempts failed horribly sales wise (Conkers Bad Fur Day and Perfect Dark) their track record is very tarnished for $500 million. Now with all sorts of bad things being said about SFA (coming out this Tuesday by the way) it does not look good for Microsoft....this looks great for Rare though....their founders are getting a fourtune....

15.
 
 
Sep 20, 2002, 21:27
15.
  Sep 20, 2002, 21:27
Sep 20, 2002, 21:27
 
They have a company that has rarely failed in the past. That is worth more than anything, as Rare can work with whatever names they're given with, and create something amazing from it.

This comment was edited on Sep 20, 21:27.
14.
 
Crap Crap and Double Crap!
Sep 20, 2002, 21:00
14.
Crap Crap and Double Crap! Sep 20, 2002, 21:00
Sep 20, 2002, 21:00
 
I was really looking forward to Kameo: Elements of Power, but I'll be damned if I'll stoop to buying a stinking X-Box to play it. Microsoft has too much of my money as it is.

Shame on you, Rare.

Jeff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Computer over?
Virus = very yes?
That's not a good prize!
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13.
 
Re: Why that much?
Sep 20, 2002, 20:40
Tom
13.
Re: Why that much? Sep 20, 2002, 20:40
Sep 20, 2002, 20:40
Tom
 
So they can say: "from the makers of Goldeneye, DKC, etc"

Most people aren't going to know that the programmers have been replaced (as you say)... but they might have some respect for the Rare name.

And what's $500 million to Microsoft's war chest anyway?

12.
 
Why that much?
Sep 20, 2002, 20:25
12.
Why that much? Sep 20, 2002, 20:25
Sep 20, 2002, 20:25
 
Here's the funny thing though, If Microsoft is infact paying somewhere close to $500 Million, what exactly are they getting for it? Normally companies have franchises that they can milk for the name, but from arguments at gaming-age.com,IGN.com fourms and other gaming sites, Rare actually owns very little of the names. Killer Instinct, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Perfect Dark, Banjo, Conker....all are reportadly owned by Nintendo. So what is this $500 mil buying? A host of programmers that have been completely restaffed since Goldeneye and a development studio building in England? This doesnt make business sense for Microsoft....

This comment was edited on Sep 20, 20:26.
11.
 
MS Needs Rare
Sep 20, 2002, 20:06
11.
MS Needs Rare Sep 20, 2002, 20:06
Sep 20, 2002, 20:06
 
The Xbox really needs some solid games, and Rare can help with that, I would hope. The Xbox line up has been extremely lackluster (well, to me) so anything would help.

10.
 
Chop Chop Master Onion said it best...
Sep 20, 2002, 19:31
Tei
10.
Chop Chop Master Onion said it best... Sep 20, 2002, 19:31
Sep 20, 2002, 19:31
Tei
 
Money, Money, Money, is all you need!

9.
 
micro$oft = :(
Sep 20, 2002, 19:09
9.
micro$oft = :( Sep 20, 2002, 19:09
Sep 20, 2002, 19:09
 
*borg voice* You will be assimilated, resistance is futile *borg voice*

8.
 
Also on forbes now...
Sep 20, 2002, 19:08
8.
Also on forbes now... Sep 20, 2002, 19:08
Sep 20, 2002, 19:08
 
http://www.forbes.com/technology/newswire/2002/09/20/rtr727631.html

It IS official.

Devster
Use your head, don't lose it - Don't feed the trolls!
Boycott Belligerent Boycotters!
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7.
 
Re: all your what are belong to who?
Sep 20, 2002, 18:48
7.
Re: all your what are belong to who? Sep 20, 2002, 18:48
Sep 20, 2002, 18:48
 
Well if you actually read the article you'd see he says "been". Blue made the error.

Edit: Unless they corrected the mistake in the article before I read it...

This comment was edited on Sep 20, 18:50.
6.
 
all your what are belong to who?
Sep 20, 2002, 18:13
6.
all your what are belong to who? Sep 20, 2002, 18:13
Sep 20, 2002, 18:13
 
"The entire company has be sold to Microsoft". Well, the convention is in Japan, right? Maybe he was trying to fit in by speaking Engrish?

5.
 
.
Sep 20, 2002, 17:44
5.
. Sep 20, 2002, 17:44
Sep 20, 2002, 17:44
 
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


TAKE INSTEAD YOU BASTARDS!!!!

This comment was edited on Sep 20, 18:35.
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