Not all company names are so apt. You could point to Rare’s very survival as proof - there are few studios formed in the ’80s to make it this far, and fewer still which remain at the forefront of the medium. You could point to its legacy, too - not many companies can lay claim to such a wellspring of nostalgia, nor to the lasting impression that games such as GoldenEye 007 left on the industry as a whole.
But Rare was rare from the very outset: founded 25 years ago in Ashby, its very conception was to set it apart from western developers of the time, intended as it was to take advantage of Nintendo’s new console.
Gregg Mayles writes: "Today was my last day at Rare Ltd. Thanks to everyone who played and enjoyed any of the games I helped create while I was there. Also thanks to all the people that worked on the games alongside me. It seemed fitting that I should say farewell with one final rhyme!"
Godspeed for the rest of your journey, sir. Loved BK. I think I'll play it this weekend to show my appreciation for this classic.
Louise O’Connor, a 25-year Rare veteran, has been made Xbox Game Studios’ Chief of Staff.
Not to offend anyone. But what was Rare doing with Everwild for so many years? Development began in 2014, with a reveal in 2019. From 2019 onwards nothing was about the game.
"Notably, O’Connor’s boss of 13 years, former Rare studio head Craig Duncan, was appointed head of Xbox Game Studios last year."
Hiring internal talent from Rare worked out so well last time.
2025 marks the 40th ‘Ruby’ Anniversary of that bold endeavour, and Rare’s inviting everyone to join the celebration of this impressive milestone, offering free gifts, discounts and plenty of swag to claim in their shared-world pirate adventure, Sea of Thieves.
It's a shame it seems pretty Sea of Thieves centric
I was hoping for some cool Banjo / Conker merch or maybe a re-release of Rare Relay with some added games, possibly work something out with Nintendo so they can add Goldeneye to it with online support.
