Feature: Inside Rare
Rare, the talented studio behind such mega hits as Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, was notoriously media shy, at least until recently, when Microsoft and the developer invited members of the press to poke around its beautiful Twycross campus, located in Leicestershire, England.
What was supposed to feel like entering Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, though, felt more like walking into a best friend’s apartment after a breakup, with very few memories of the previous relationship, or in this case, a lucrative marriage with Nintendo that produced some of the best video games of all time.
The message is clear. Rare doesn’t cling to the past.
This was evident the moment we walked into the lobby, our eyes struggling to absorb the overwhelming Kinect Sports decor. Murals, press quotes, bowling pins. The company even has a TV that plays the Kinect Sports: Season Two trailer on a loop, as well as another featuring the original launch title. You know, the one that managed to sell an impressive three million copies worldwide. With numbers like that, who needs Donkey Kong?
That said, join us for a special look inside one of the world’s most secretive and beloved developers.
The lobby was almost exactly what we expected: a celebration of Rare. The company plastered its new logo on everything, including the front doors and the doormat. One thing’s certain: you never forget where you are.
Much of the attractive lobby features press quotes pulled from reviews of last year’s Kinect Sports. The team is immensely proud of its game, for both sales and driving the technology of Kinect.
