Back in the SNES and N64 days, Rare was one of Nintendo’s best supporters when it came to making quality titles like Killer Instinct & GoldenEye 007 in their systems. Rare back then was also responsible for making Donkey Kong an iconic character alongside the Italian plumber with the Donkey Kong Country series. Nintendo’s greatest games in the 90’s were all thanks to Rare. But that soon change when Microsoft brought out the British studio for 375 million dollars in 2002.
With Microsoft owning Rare and it’s ips like Conker, Banjo-Kazooie & Perfect Dark, executives at Microsoft thought they were getting a little bit more then what they bargain for. According to Chris Seavor, director of Conker’s Bad Fur Day through a tweet he later deleted said an amusing history from the early days of Rare in Microsoft.
”Here’s a true story.. When Rare was first bought by MS a group of execs came on a tour.. One of them noticed the Donkey Kong. ..Posters everywhere and said.. ‘Hey that’s great.. We own Donkey Kong right??’ ………/massivesigh I kid you not”
Big fail aside, I’m sure that no one at Microsoft who was buying Rare actually believed that they we’re going to get Nintendo’s oldest property in the purchase of the studio. I mean could you imagine Donkey Kong Country Returns as an Xbox 360 exclusive or even the upcoming Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Xbox One? Zoinks!
