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Former Rare Composer Grant Kirkhope says Microsoft “Completely Ruined” Rare
July 06 2012 by Dylan James
Legendary video game composer Grant Kirkhope (known for his work on Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata, and more) was once the top dog of developer Rare’s music team - but left in recent years to strike out on his own path.As many of you already know, Rare hasn’t been too well off in recent years. Ever since Microsoft bought the developer, the quality of their titles have slowly dropped - now most of the original team is gone and they’re known for helping out on dance minigame collections and the like. Kirkhope has come out with his viewpoint on this turn of events…and it’s a definite take-down of Microsoft (strong language and all).
Here’s the full quote:
“I think Rare have completely fucked themselves. And - it isn’t their fault; it’s Microsoft’s fault. They have completely ruined that company, and it makes me cry every day of my life.”
Strong words from a man very much involved in the core Rare team. It’s no secret that Rare has basically shriveled up and died as a developer at this point - all the talent has left the company and they’re a shell of what they were in the N64 era. At that point in time, Rare was the leader in exclusive second party content on the N64, and almost every single title they developed for the platform went on to become a hallowed nostalgic memory in the minds of gamers.
Personally, I tend to see the destruction of Rare as much more tragic than the usual “company goes bankrupt and dissolves” situation we normally see. Instead of suffering a clean death, Rare has lived on as a corpse with full motor skills and functionality - they still develop games, they’re just crap. All the vital parts that truly made them the developer they were are long gone, and it’s left as a rickety shell that simply won’t refuse to die; one that poisons the old memory of the company with each passing year.
Of course, according to Kirkhope, Microsoft is to blame for this mess. Not being party to what truly happened behind the scenes, we can never know - and Rare (well-known for its incredible secrecy) will most certainly never tell.
Do you think Microsoft is to blame for Rare’s current woes for buying the company, or Nintendo for selling? Is it truly anyone’s fault? Comment away!
Source: Ustream via GoNintendo
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