Rare: Difference between revisions

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(I honestly have doubts about if the first two opinion casters at Talk:Microsoft were properly aware of how short the Rare Ltd. page was before I added some of its info here now (along with new additional info on Minecraft).)
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{{company infobox
{{company infobox
|logo=Rare logo 2015.svg
|logo=Rare logo 2015.svg
|bg=#1E2023
|width=200px
|width=200px
|founded=1985
|founded=1985
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|president=Craig Duncan
|president=Craig Duncan
}}
}}
'''{{wp|Rare (company)|Rare Ltd.}}''' (trade-named '''Rareware''' during [[Nintendo]] tenure) is a British video game developer based in Twycross, Leicestershire. It was founded in 1985 by Chris and Tim Stamper, as the successor company to {{wp|Ultimate Play the Game}}. Rare formerly worked exclusively for Nintendo before being bought out by [[Microsoft]]. As a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, Rare created the successful [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games ''{{wp|Wizards & Warriors}}'', ''{{wp|Battletoads (video game)|Battletoads}}'', and ''{{wp|R.C. Pro-Am}}''; revived the ''[[Donkey Kong (franchise)|Donkey Kong]]'' property with its critically acclaimed ''[[Donkey Kong Country (series)|Donkey Kong Country]]'' series; and created many other well-known titles such as ''{{wp|GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007}}'', ''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie}}'', ''{{wp|Perfect Dark}}'', and ''{{wp|Conker's Bad Fur Day}}''.
'''{{wp|Rare (company)|Rare Ltd.}}''' (trade-named '''Rareware''' during [[Nintendo]] tenure) is a British video game developer based in Twycross, Leicestershire. It was founded in 1985 by Chris and Tim Stamper, as the successor company to {{wp|Ultimate Play the Game}}. As a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, Rare created the successful [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games ''{{wp|Wizards & Warriors}}'', ''{{wp|Battletoads (video game)|Battletoads}}'', and ''{{wp|R.C. Pro-Am}}''. Their only involvement with the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] was creating several ''[[Donkey Kong (franchise)|Donkey Kong]]'' games, beginning with ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]''. Since then, Rare has produced other well-known titles such as ''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie}}'', ''{{wp|Perfect Dark}}'', and ''{{wp|Sea of Thieves}}''.


In 2002, following the release of ''[[lylatwiki:Star Fox Adventures|Star Fox Adventures]]'' on the [[Nintendo GameCube]] (Rare's only game on the system), Nintendo sold Rare's shares to Microsoft on September 24, 2002 for $375 million, granting Microsoft 100% acquisition of Rare. The company then began to produce games for {{wp|Xbox Game Studios|Microsoft Studios}}' {{wp|Xbox (console)|Xbox}} video game console. This change of focus resulted in the cancelation of several games featuring the ''Donkey Kong'' brand: ''[[Donkey Kong Racing]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers]]'', and ''[[Diddy Kong Pilot (2001)|Diddy Kong Pilot]]'' (the first of which was unfinished before Rare was bought by Microsoft, while the last two had set release dates but ended up being unpublished).
In 2002, following the release of ''[[lylatwiki:Star Fox Adventures|Star Fox Adventures]]'' on the [[Nintendo GameCube]], Microsoft completed their acquisition of Rare, affecting the status of several ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' games, including ''[[Donkey Kong Racing]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers]]'', and ''[[Diddy Kong Pilot (2001)|Diddy Kong Pilot]]''. Consequently, [[Dixie Kong]]'s hat no longer bore the Rare logo. Under the terms of the merger, Nintendo retained the rights to all the ''Donkey Kong'' characters along with [[Krunch]], while Rare maintained the rights to its own intellectual properties such as ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and ''Conker''. For a while, Rare developed games for Nintendo's handheld systems, since Microsoft has not entered the dedicated handheld console market. Two of the games, ''{{wp|Banjo-Pilot}}'' and ''{{wp|It's Mr. Pants}}'', were redeveloped from ''Diddy Kong Pilot'' and ''Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers'', respectively.


Rare, however, has continued to develop games for Nintendo's handheld systems, since Microsoft has not entered the dedicated handheld console market. Microsoft negotiated a deal with {{wp|THQ}} to publish ''{{wp|Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge}}'' on the [[Game Boy Advance]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100731105039/http://mundorare.com/features/chronicle-of-a-buyout-foretold MundoRare - ''Chronicle of a Buyout Foretold'' (Wayback Machine)]</ref> as well as ''{{wp|Banjo-Pilot}}'' and ''{{wp|It's Mr. Pants}}'', which were redeveloped from ''Diddy Kong Pilot'' and ''Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers'', respectively. Nintendo itself would later publish the enhanced [[Reissue|remakes]] of the three [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] ''Donkey Kong Country'' games for the Game Boy Advance, as well as the Rare-developed ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' remake.
After the merger, there was a hard stop to using Nintendo and Rare characters in the same works of media, with even ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' in 2007 not being able to use Banjo or Conker in the character roster. ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' would include one of Rare's properties, Banjo and Kazooie, as playable characters.


==Appearances in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise==
Nintendo itself would later publish the enhanced [[Reissue|remakes]] of the three [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] ''Donkey Kong Country'' games for the Game Boy Advance, as well as the Rare-developed ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' remake. As the [[Donkey Kong Country (series)|Donkey Kong Country]] original trilogy was developed by Rare Ltd., Nintendo did not have full license rights to the games. While the first ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' game was made available on [[Virtual Console]] within a few weeks of the Nintendo Wii console being released, and the [[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest|second]] and [[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!|third]] games being rolled out there in 2007, all three games were delisted on November 25, 2012{{ref needed}} and were gradually re-listed again in 2014-15,{{ref needed}} this time on both Wii and [[Wii U]], and all releases of the game have remained listed since then to the extent the consoles' online game stores have remained online. The Rare-developed game ''[[Jetpac]]'' somehow remained intact in the ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' port for the Wii U Virtual Console.
*[[Dixie Kong]] and [[Timber]]'s hats once had Rareware logos on them.
*In ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', Rareware, along with Nintendo, sponsored the boxing match between the [[Kong]]s and [[King K. Rool]] as mentioned by the [[Microphone]]. Also, it is possible to collect a [[Rareware Coin]] by beating [[Cranky Kong|Cranky's]] score in ''[[Jetpac]]'', and a [[Golden Banana]] with Rare's logo on it by collecting all of the [[Banana Fairy|Banana Fairies]].
*In ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'', the [[Coin (Diddy Kong Racing DS)|coins]] have the logo of Rare on it.
*In ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'', the options menu has a coral reef shaped like the Rare logo.
*In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', the Rare logo appears on [[Banjo]]'s backpack, just as it did in promotional renders for ''Banjo-Tooie''.


==''Super Mario''-related games developed==
==History involving the ''Super Mario'' franchise==
===''Donkey Kong 64''===
Rare appears in ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' in a few ways, and are named "Rareware" in the game. Rareware and [[Nintendo]] are the sponsors for the boxing match between the [[Kong]]s and [[King K. Rool]] as mentioned by the [[Microphone]]. Two items bear the logo of Rare: the [[Rareware Coin]] and a specific [[Golden Banana]] that is obtained from the [[Banana Fairy Princess]].
 
===''Diddy Kong Racing DS''===
Rare appears in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' with their logo appearing on the [[Coin (Diddy Kong Racing DS)|coins]].
 
===''Super Smash Bros.'' series===
In the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], "Rare Limited," appears in the Sound Test of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' as the original composers of several ''Donkey Kong'' songs, although the information clarifies that Nintendo fully owns the copyright to the compositions.
 
==List of ''Super Mario'' games==
{|class="wikitable"style="width: 50%;text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable"style="width: 50%;text-align:center"
!Title
!Title
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|[[Nintendo DS]]
|[[Nintendo DS]]
|}
|}
===''Donkey Kong Country'' series on Virtual Console===
[[File:DKC VC Icon.jpg|right|thumb|JPN Wii U icon for ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'']]
As the [[Donkey Kong Country (series)|Donkey Kong Country]] original trilogy was developed by Rare Ltd., Nintendo did not have full license rights to the games. While the first ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' game was made available on [[Virtual Console]] within a few weeks of the Nintendo Wii console being released, and the [[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest|second]] and [[Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!|third]] games being rolled out there in 2007, all three games were delisted on November 25, 2012 and were gradually re-listed again in 2014-15, this time on both Wii and [[Wii U]], and all releases of the game have remained listed since then to the extent the consoles' online game stores have remained online.
==Character properties==
Under the terms of the merger, Nintendo retained the rights to all the ''Donkey Kong'' characters along with [[Krunch]], while Rare maintained the rights to its own intellectual properties such as ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and ''[[Conker]]''.
Nintendo characters and Rare-created characters both appeared in ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' in 1997, often several months before the latter characters starred in their own games. [[Banjo]] later also appeared in ''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]'' as a sticker, and Rare characters appeared in comic issues occasionally before the merger. After the merger, there was a hard stop to using Nintendo and Rare characters in the same works of media, with even ''[[Diddy Kong Racing DS]]'' in 2007 not being able to use Banjo or Conker in the character roster. The hard split of character sets would last until the September 4, 2019 release of a DLC set for ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', which was the first time since 1997 that Banjo and [[Diddy Kong]] were playable characters in the same game.


==Notable employees==
==Notable employees==
{|
{{columns|count=2|
|- valign=top
|
*[[Kevin Bayliss]] (former)
*[[Kevin Bayliss]] (former)
*[[Grant Kirkhope]] (former)
*[[Grant Kirkhope]] (former)
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*[[Gregg Mayles]]
*[[Gregg Mayles]]
*[[Steve Mayles]] (former)
*[[Steve Mayles]] (former)
|
*Chris Stamper (former)
*Chris Stamper (former)
*Tim Stamper (former)
*Tim Stamper (former)
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*[[Chris Sutherland]] (former)
*[[Chris Sutherland]] (former)
*[[David Wise]] (former)
*[[David Wise]] (former)
|}
}}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
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Diddypilot.jpg|''[[Diddy Kong Pilot]]''
Diddypilot.jpg|''[[Diddy Kong Pilot]]''
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Trivia==
*Even though Rare has cut ties with Nintendo, its company name, written as "Rare Limited," appears in the Sound Test of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' as the original composers of several ''Donkey Kong'' songs, although the information clarifies that Nintendo fully owns the copyright to the compositions.
**In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', Rare is also credited with composing various ''Banjo-Kazooie'' music tracks, all of which the company currently owns as part of Microsoft.
*In the Wii U port of ''Donkey Kong 64'', the game ''Jetpac'' is left intact despite still being owned by Rare.
*In 2018, the year before Banjo and [[Kazooie]] were added to ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', skins modeled after Rare characters had been made available to ''[[Minecraft]]: Wii U Edition'' and ''Minecraft: Switch Edition'', though the skins were applied to [[Steve (Minecraft)|Steve]] and were not the proper Rare character shapes.


==External links==
==External links==
{{NIWA|LylatWiki=Rare|NWiki=Rare|SmashWiki=1|StrategyWiki=Category:Rare}}
*[https://rarewiki.com/wiki/Rare_Ltd. Rare Ltd.] on the Rare Wiki
*[https://rarewiki.com/wiki/Rare_Ltd. Rare Ltd.] on the Rare Wiki
==References==
{{NIWA|LylatWiki=Rare|NWiki=Rare|SmashWiki=1|StrategyWiki=Category:Rare}}
<references/>


{{Companies}}
{{Companies}}

Revision as of 18:24, May 29, 2024

Rare
Rare current logo
Founded 1985[?]
First Super Mario game Donkey Kong Country
Latest Super Mario game Diddy Kong Racing DS
Current president Craig Duncan

Rare Ltd. (trade-named Rareware during Nintendo tenure) is a British video game developer based in Twycross, Leicestershire. It was founded in 1985 by Chris and Tim Stamper, as the successor company to Ultimate Play the Game. As a prominent second-party developer for Nintendo, Rare created the successful Nintendo Entertainment System games Wizards & Warriors, Battletoads, and R.C. Pro-Am. Their only involvement with the Super Mario franchise was creating several Donkey Kong games, beginning with Donkey Kong Country. Since then, Rare has produced other well-known titles such as Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Sea of Thieves.

In 2002, following the release of Star Fox Adventures on the Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft completed their acquisition of Rare, affecting the status of several Super Mario games, including Donkey Kong Racing, Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, and Diddy Kong Pilot. Consequently, Dixie Kong's hat no longer bore the Rare logo. Under the terms of the merger, Nintendo retained the rights to all the Donkey Kong characters along with Krunch, while Rare maintained the rights to its own intellectual properties such as Banjo-Kazooie and Conker. For a while, Rare developed games for Nintendo's handheld systems, since Microsoft has not entered the dedicated handheld console market. Two of the games, Banjo-Pilot and It's Mr. Pants, were redeveloped from Diddy Kong Pilot and Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, respectively.

After the merger, there was a hard stop to using Nintendo and Rare characters in the same works of media, with even Diddy Kong Racing DS in 2007 not being able to use Banjo or Conker in the character roster. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would include one of Rare's properties, Banjo and Kazooie, as playable characters.

Nintendo itself would later publish the enhanced remakes of the three SNES Donkey Kong Country games for the Game Boy Advance, as well as the Rare-developed Diddy Kong Racing DS remake. As the Donkey Kong Country original trilogy was developed by Rare Ltd., Nintendo did not have full license rights to the games. While the first Donkey Kong Country game was made available on Virtual Console within a few weeks of the Nintendo Wii console being released, and the second and third games being rolled out there in 2007, all three games were delisted on November 25, 2012[citation needed] and were gradually re-listed again in 2014-15,[citation needed] this time on both Wii and Wii U, and all releases of the game have remained listed since then to the extent the consoles' online game stores have remained online. The Rare-developed game Jetpac somehow remained intact in the Donkey Kong 64 port for the Wii U Virtual Console.

History involving the Super Mario franchise

Donkey Kong 64

Rare appears in Donkey Kong 64 in a few ways, and are named "Rareware" in the game. Rareware and Nintendo are the sponsors for the boxing match between the Kongs and King K. Rool as mentioned by the Microphone. Two items bear the logo of Rare: the Rareware Coin and a specific Golden Banana that is obtained from the Banana Fairy Princess.

Diddy Kong Racing DS

Rare appears in Diddy Kong Racing DS with their logo appearing on the coins.

Super Smash Bros. series

In the Super Smash Bros. series, "Rare Limited," appears in the Sound Test of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the original composers of several Donkey Kong songs, although the information clarifies that Nintendo fully owns the copyright to the compositions.

List of Super Mario games

Title Year released Console
Donkey Kong Country 1994 SNES
Donkey Kong Land 1995 Game Boy
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 1995 SNES
Donkey Kong Land 2 1996 Game Boy
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! 1996 SNES
Donkey Kong Land III 1997 Game Boy
Diddy Kong Racing 1997 Nintendo 64
Donkey Kong 64 1999 Nintendo 64
Donkey Kong Country 2000 Game Boy Color
Donkey Kong Country 2003 Game Boy Advance
Donkey Kong Country 2 2004 Game Boy Advance
Donkey Kong Country 3 2005 Game Boy Advance
Diddy Kong Racing DS 2007 Nintendo DS

Notable employees

Gallery

Logos

  • Rare's first logo, used from 1987–1990

    Rare's first logo, used from 1987–1990

  • Logo used from 1990–1994

    Logo used from 1990–1994

  • Logo used from 1994–2003 for the "Rareware" trademark

    Logo used from 1994–2003 for the "Rareware" trademark

  • Donkey Kong and Diddy with the Rareware logo

    Donkey Kong and Diddy with the Rareware logo

  • Logo used from 2003–2010

    Logo used from 2003–2010

  • Logo used from 2010–2015

    Logo used from 2010–2015

Screenshots

  • Splash screen from Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong

    Splash screen from Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong

  • Splash screen from Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

    Splash screen from Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

  • Unused splash screen from Diddy Kong Pilot (2001)

    Unused splash screen from Diddy Kong Pilot (2001)

Logos of canceled games

External links

Rare coverage on other NIWA wikis:
[Edit]
Companies
Game companies Divisions and subsidiaries of Nintendo 1-UP Studio • iQue • Mario Club Co., Ltd. • Next Level Games • Nintendo • Nintendo Cube • †Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development • Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development • †Nintendo Research & Development 1 • †Nintendo Research & Development 2 • †Nintendo Software Planning & Development • Nintendo Software Technology Corporation • †Nintendo System Development • Retro Studios • Treehouse
Third parties 4J Studios • Access Games • Acquire • †AlphaDream • Argonaut Games • Arika • Armor Project • ArtePiazza • †Artoon • Arzest • Atari Corporation • †Atari, Inc. • Atlus • Bandai Namco Entertainment • †Banpresto • Beenox • Blit Interactive • †Boss Game Studios • Brainstorm Entertainment • †Brian A. Rice, Inc. • Brunswick • †Bullet-Proof Software • C3 Incorporated • Camelot Software Planning • Capcom • CAProduction • Caroline Software Incorporated • Cigam • Climax • Codesmith, Inc. • †Coleco • Cosmodog • Denaris Entertainment Software • Designer Software • Digitainment • Digital Works Entertainment • Dynatech Play2O • EA Canada • †Fabtek • †Falcon • Fantasy Factory • Firebird • Forever Entertainment • Game Arts • Game Freak • Good-Feel • †Gottlieb • GREZZO Co., Ltd. • GungHo Online Entertainment • HAL College of Technology & Design • HAL Laboratory • HAMSTER Corporation • Hexadrive • †Hudson Soft • Ikegami Tsushinki • indieszero • Intelligent Systems • Interplay • Iwasaki Engineering • Jupiter • Konami • Lightmaker • Magnum enter Co., Ltd. • Mani • Maygay • Million Colors • MISA • Mojang Studios • Monster Games • National Human Electronics • Natsume • Nelsonic Industries • NeoPets • NHN Entertainment • Nichimen Graphics • †NovaLogic • †Ocean Software • Orpheus Software • Other Ocean Interactive • Paon DP • Playtime • PlayWorks Digital Limited • POP Multimedia • Presage Software • Racjin • Radical Entertainment • Rare • †Renegade Kid • Riedel Software Productions • Roklan • Royal Philips Electronics • S.I.U. • Scientific Toys • Sega • Sharp Corporation • Silverball Studios • †Skip Ltd. • SkyBox Labs • Skyworks Technologies, Inc. • SmileBoom Co., Ltd. • Softnica • †Software Creations • Sora Ltd. • Sound Racer Ltd. • Spike Chunsoft • Square Enix • †St.GIGA • Sunwise • †SUZAK Inc. • Switch Entertainment Inc. • T's MUSIC Co., Ltd. • Tantalus Media • †The Software Toolworks • TNX • Tokyo Electron • TOSE Software Co. • Treasure • Ubisoft • Vanpool • Velan Studios • Vicarious Visions • VPI.net • WILL Co., Ltd. • Yuke's • †Yutaka
Other companies Book publishers Archie Comics • Dark Horse Comics • Fleetway Publications • Guinness World Records • Prima Games • Scholastic • Shogakukan • Valiant Comics
Animation studios †DIC Entertainment • Hong Guang Animation (Su Zhou) • Illumination • †Medialab • Nelvana • †Pacific Rim Productions, Inc. • †Sei Young Animation Co., Ltd. • Sony Pictures
Home video distributors †Abbey Home Entertainment • Beyond Home Entertainment • Bim Bum Bam Video • Buena Vista Home Video • Disky Communications • Egmont Film • GoodView Home Video • HVN • IDP Home Video • †Kids Klassics • Lionsgate Home Entertainment • Manga Distribution• Maximum Entertainment • MRA Entertainment • NCircle Entertainment • On Air Video • Paramount Home Video • †Phase 4 Films • Pickwick Video • Pidax Film • Producciones Panther • Roadshow Entertainment • Shout! Factory • SMI url • Sterling Entertainment Group • Target • The Video Collection • UIG Entertainment GmbH • Universal Pictures • Wendros
Collectible / toy makers Ahomaro Games • †Banpresto • Bioworld • BlackMilk Clothing • ERTL • Fangamer • First4Figures • Furuta • Gelato Pique • Hallmark • Jakks Pacific • K'NEX • LEGO • Mattel • PopCo Entertainment • S.H. Figuarts • San-ei Co., Ltd. • Takara • Tomy • Toy Biz
Food companies Burger King • Freiberger • Keebler • Kellogg's • The Kraft Heinz Company • McDonald's • Nagatanien • Sonic Drive-In • †Sunshine Biscuits • Taco Bell • Wendy's
Cosmetics companies Lush • shu uemura
Miscellaneous Aeon • EMI Music Publishing • †MediaBrowser • Pure West • Tesla • Twinkl • Yodobashi Camera
† Defunct
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