Nowadays, acquisitions of big developers seems like a regular occurrence, whether it’s Microsoft buying Activision for $68.7 billion or Sony buying Bungie for $3.6 billion. In comparison, Microsoft’s purchase of Rare in 2002 for $365 million ($613 million in today’s money) almost seems quaint, but it was a massive deal at the time that sent shock waves through the games industry, as Craig Duncan, Rare’s current studio head, recalls. “I wasn’t at Rare at the time, I was actually running some projects for Codemasters,” he says. “But to me, it was a big statement of intent about Xbox and Microsoft. Like it was, OK, you’re going to acquire one of the most-renowned, well-respected developers in the industry. Just to do that was a bold move. I think it made the whole industry go, ‘Wow, Xbox and Microsoft are serious about games.’”
James ‘JT’ Thomas, the associate tech director on Sea Of Thieves, started at the studio the summer before the acquisition. “I was very surprised because when I first rocked up to Twycross on my first day, I was expecting GameCube dev kits, like Nintendo everywhere,” he says. “I rocked up and there was an Xbox dev kit as well on my desk. There were all the test kits and the dev kits there as we were trying to get used to the Xbox technology. I was properly blown away because it was so top secret.”
Louise O’Connor is another Rare veteran who has been at the studio for 24 years. Currently the executive producer on Rare’s new project , she recalls the work that went into the video showcasing Microsoft’s bold announcement. “I remember at the time being really excited to have Conker come out and chainsaw the Xbox logo in the announcement video,” she recalls. “Conker comes out and he turns it into the Rare logo and then Kameo comes along and Banjo is there as well. I remember
