Okay, let’s dive into this thing. Rare, you know, the video game folks? They popped up on the scene way back on August 4, 1985. Crazy, right? They emerged from this earlier gig called Ultimate Play the Game. Anyway, Rare hit the big time by teaming up with Nintendo and Xbox, rolling out legendary stuff like Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, and honestly, a bunch of other gems like Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata, and Sea of Thieves.
Oh, and get this—they reached their big 4-0 and teamed up with 8BitDo for this funky wireless Xbox controller decked out in Rare’s famous game patterns. Perfect timing or not? Well, Xbox and Rare have had some, uh, issues lately. Just saying.
Okay, what’s the deal with these Xbox and Rare beefs? Let’s see. Apparently, since 2023, Microsoft and Xbox have been laying off a boatload of folks. But hey, they say money’s not an issue, though Xbox sales kinda lagged behind Nintendo and PlayStation. Weird flex, right? Microsoft cut 10,000 jobs in 2023, then even more. It’s like, are they just firing people for fun?
This has been hitting Rare hard, along with other game dev teams around the Xbox ecosystem. Phil Spencer, bigwig over at Microsoft Gaming, says it’s to “trim the fat” or something like that. Is it just me, or does this sound like corporate talk for letting people go while pretending it’s tactical? Maybe it’s planned, or maybe they’re just winging it. Who knows.
Some classic projects got the axe, too, like a Zenimax Online MMORPG and the Perfect Dark reboot from The Initiative. That last one even caused The Initiative to shut down. Talk about a massive shake-up. And what about Everwild? Did you see the trailers? So cinematic, yet so few details. Feels like they showed the cake but forgot the recipe. And all this after a creative director pulled up stakes. Happens more than you’d think, especially in these whirlwind industries.
Speaking of which, Everwild was trekking along smoothly by 2024 according to the talk on the street. Phil Spencer even swung by their HQ in dear old England to check it out. Yet, come 2025, it’s dunzo. Matt Booty, the man in charge over at Xbox Game Studios, claims they canceled these projects to “realign” focus and efforts. Sounds like standard industry repositioning but doesn’t ease the blow, right?
Amidst this chaos, Rare’s star, Gregg Mayles, called it quits. Joined as a teen back in ‘89, dude was behind some iconic titles. Real old-school legend. His exit marks a closing chapter, or maybe a new beginning for someone else—depends on how you look at it.
And how about that 40th anniversary? With all that’s going on, it becomes this bittersweet mix. Still, Ashby-de-la-Zouch honored Rare with a plaque, immortalizing their start. That’s kind of heartwarming amid the turmoil.
Let’s end on a lighter note. It’s this whirlwind of layoffs, cancellations, and nostalgia. Rare’s history feels like a game itself, doesn’t it? Like someone pressed ‘restart’ too many times.
