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Rare (company)

Rare
Subsidiary
Industry Interactive entertainment
Video game industry
Predecessor Ultimate Play the Game
Founded 1985; 32 years ago (1985)
Founders Tim Stamper
Chris Stamper
Headquarters Twycross, England, United Kingdom
Key people
Craig Duncan (Studio Director)
Gregg Mayles (Creative Director)
Simon Woodroffe (Creative Director)
Products List of video games developed by Rare
Owner Microsoft
Number of employees
~200 as of 2008
Parent Microsoft Studios
Website www.rare.co.uk

Rare is a British video game developer located in Twycross, Leicestershire. The company was established in 1985 by Tim and Chris Stamper, founders of Ultimate Play the Game. During its early years, Rare was backed by an unlimited budget from Nintendo, primarily concentrated on Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. During this time they created successful titles such as Wizards & Warriors, Battletoads, and R.C. Pro-Am. Rare became a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, who came to own a large minority stake of the company. During this period, Rare received international recognition and critical acclaim for games such as Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Conker's Bad Fur Day.

In 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare, who retained their original brand, logo, and most intellectual properties. It has since focused on developing games exclusively for Microsoft Studios' video game consoles. Notable releases include Kameo: Elements of Power, Perfect Dark Zero and Viva Piñata. In 2007, founders Tim and Chris Stamper left the company to pursue "other opportunities" and, in 2010, the company's focus shifted to the Xbox Live Avatar and Kinect, releasing three different Kinect Sports games. In 2015, Rare released Rare Replay, a compilation of 30 games produced by the company to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Rare is currently working on Sea of Thieves, a multiplayer adventure game.


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