14 DAY TRIAL // Rare is a development studio which set Microsoft back $377 million when they acquired it. The studio produced two titles, one of which simply sucked: Jetpac Refuelled (a fairly good one) and Viva Pinata, which was a very big disappointment for the company in terms of sales. So, then the following question remains unanswered. When is Rare going to make up for the $377 million Microsoft spent on acquiring them?
Microsoft's Shane Kim spoke with Shacknews on the topic, letting people in on the time frame Rare's got to fill up the gaps, as 1UP posts:
"I think that the story on Rare is really going to be told in the next three to five years. The kind of titles we're really asking them to focus on now are the Banjos, the Viva Pinatas, the Kameos, and so forth. Rare is going to be our internal studio--really, our primary studio for the most part--that's going to be focused on creating those big, triple-A-level, broad appeal titles."
If Rare is going to be Microsoft's internal studio focusing on Viva Pinatas for the following 3 to 5 years they might have a bit of a problem. But hey, what do I know?
Kim continued: "We're entering into the life cycle stage of the console where those kinds of titles can and should do well. We've never been in that stage since we owned Rare. When you look back at Xbox version one, that was a hardcore box through and through, right? Now, Kameo and Viva Pinata have launched during the highest price point of the Xbox 360. Those are really good titles that we're very proud of, and Viva Pinata in particular I think will have very long legs with the television series."
Let's say that the question has been partially answered, but a new one needs answering now: who waits for 5 years, when it comes to a title or two? It's not like Rare's got the only available equipment on Earth to make cartoons move on screen according to button commands.