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Another day, another snippet of news from everyone’s favourite third party developer (if you’re an Nintendo fan at least) – Rare. This time comes the news that two prospective Gamecube and GBA releases, Donkey Kong Racing and Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers have been struck of future release schedules, possibly forever. Which begs the question, have Rare finally bitten the bullet and cut their ties with Nintendo? If they have, then this causes repercussions that will reverberate all around the gaming world. This post will examine the potential effects that Rare ‘going solo’ would have, not only on Gamecube and Nintendo, but on the dynamics of the industry as a whole.
About a year ago now, Sega were struggling. Sales of the Dreamcast were slipping, despite arguably one of the best software line-ups of any console ever. Money spent on advertising was reaping fruitless rewards, their killer app, RPG/action adventure hybrid Shenmue was not widely accepted as they hoped it would, especially in comparison to Square’s flagship franchise Final Fantasy, and with the Playstation 2 on the horizon (not to mention Microsoft and Nintendo’s efforts) the future was anything but rosy. But with one decision, their fortunes changed. By deciding to cease production of Dreamcast and switching to software production only, overnight Sega went from a struggling company to one of the hottest commodities in the industry – every major console player wanted Sega games to grace their console, and there was speculation of a Microsoft takeover. It didn’t materialise, but in one swift move Sega’s share price rocketed and their fortunes took a turn for the better.
The point of that little history lesson was to make certain comparisons between Rare and Sega. Sure, Rare aren’t in the console business, and they certainly aren’t struggling, but Rare could too make the transition that Sega could. From being restricted to Nintendo only, if Rare went multiformat they could become even bigger players in the industry, not to mention tripling their games sales, and ultimately revenue – an attractive proposition for any company. As has been well documented, the days of exclusive games are practically over –despite a few ties, most developers understand the financial benefits at least of making their games appearing on all consoles.
How will Rare going multi-format affect Nintendo? Arguably, Rare saved the N64. With the long droughts between major releases and a lack of major third party support due to the high cost of cartridges, Rare’s games kept the ’64 afloat – Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Blast Corps (well, maybe not that), Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, DK64, etc. Nintendo owe Rare a lot – without those games their place in the industry might have been under threat, and despite the part-ownership element, Rare could have made a lot more money than they did from multiformat releases. Miyamoto has also made his appreciation of them clear, citing when asked about his favourite developer (bar Nintendo of course) as Rare, saying they make “very good games”.
But now? Well, there is only one release on the way – Starfox Adventures, which seems to have been an age in development. Kameo hasn’t been seen since two Spaceworlds ago, and the aforementioned DK games have both been struck off release dates. The mischievous, and now infamous, Christmas card could have been an indicator of their discontent, maybe Nintendo are restricting their creative licence - who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps any potential animosity might arise from the fact that Nintendo have lazily farmed out old franchises, in this case the Starfox crew, to Rare rather than let them stick with the Dinosaur Planet ones. I may be clutching at straws here, but it is valid nonetheless. Also, Nintendo aren’t as dependent on Rare anymore – they have the support of Square and Resident Evil franchise, not to mention their new philosophy.
But let’s look at another perspective. Sure, it can be argued that Nintendo might not be able to live without Rare, but think of it this way –can Rare live without Nintendo? Some of Rare’s most popular games have been from the Nintendo ‘stable’, whilst some of Rare’s own creations – Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini haven’t been as successful. It can be argued that, FPSs aside, games featuring more established characters have done better. Plus, Nintendo have been very patient in allowing Rare to take as much time as possible when creating games – others might not be so understanding.
Would a Rare multi-format decision hurt Gamecube? Probably. Would it bother Nintendo? Maybe, but they always maintain that they don’t pressurise anyone else to make games for their console. Whatever transpires, in this industry of card games, Rare hold a powerful hand, and what they do with it could determine who wins the game (what a dodgy analogy).
Thank you and goodnight.
About a year ago now, Sega were struggling. Sales of the Dreamcast were slipping, despite arguably one of the best software line-ups of any console ever. Money spent on advertising was reaping fruitless rewards, their killer app, RPG/action adventure hybrid Shenmue was not widely accepted as they hoped it would, especially in comparison to Square’s flagship franchise Final Fantasy, and with the Playstation 2 on the horizon (not to mention Microsoft and Nintendo’s efforts) the future was anything but rosy. But with one decision, their fortunes changed. By deciding to cease production of Dreamcast and switching to software production only, overnight Sega went from a struggling company to one of the hottest commodities in the industry – every major console player wanted Sega games to grace their console, and there was speculation of a Microsoft takeover. It didn’t materialise, but in one swift move Sega’s share price rocketed and their fortunes took a turn for the better.
The point of that little history lesson was to make certain comparisons between Rare and Sega. Sure, Rare aren’t in the console business, and they certainly aren’t struggling, but Rare could too make the transition that Sega could. From being restricted to Nintendo only, if Rare went multiformat they could become even bigger players in the industry, not to mention tripling their games sales, and ultimately revenue – an attractive proposition for any company. As has been well documented, the days of exclusive games are practically over –despite a few ties, most developers understand the financial benefits at least of making their games appearing on all consoles.
How will Rare going multi-format affect Nintendo? Arguably, Rare saved the N64. With the long droughts between major releases and a lack of major third party support due to the high cost of cartridges, Rare’s games kept the ’64 afloat – Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Blast Corps (well, maybe not that), Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, DK64, etc. Nintendo owe Rare a lot – without those games their place in the industry might have been under threat, and despite the part-ownership element, Rare could have made a lot more money than they did from multiformat releases. Miyamoto has also made his appreciation of them clear, citing when asked about his favourite developer (bar Nintendo of course) as Rare, saying they make “very good games”.
But now? Well, there is only one release on the way – Starfox Adventures, which seems to have been an age in development. Kameo hasn’t been seen since two Spaceworlds ago, and the aforementioned DK games have both been struck off release dates. The mischievous, and now infamous, Christmas card could have been an indicator of their discontent, maybe Nintendo are restricting their creative licence - who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps any potential animosity might arise from the fact that Nintendo have lazily farmed out old franchises, in this case the Starfox crew, to Rare rather than let them stick with the Dinosaur Planet ones. I may be clutching at straws here, but it is valid nonetheless. Also, Nintendo aren’t as dependent on Rare anymore – they have the support of Square and Resident Evil franchise, not to mention their new philosophy.
But let’s look at another perspective. Sure, it can be argued that Nintendo might not be able to live without Rare, but think of it this way –can Rare live without Nintendo? Some of Rare’s most popular games have been from the Nintendo ‘stable’, whilst some of Rare’s own creations – Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini haven’t been as successful. It can be argued that, FPSs aside, games featuring more established characters have done better. Plus, Nintendo have been very patient in allowing Rare to take as much time as possible when creating games – others might not be so understanding.
Would a Rare multi-format decision hurt Gamecube? Probably. Would it bother Nintendo? Maybe, but they always maintain that they don’t pressurise anyone else to make games for their console. Whatever transpires, in this industry of card games, Rare hold a powerful hand, and what they do with it could determine who wins the game (what a dodgy analogy).
Thank you and goodnight.
Page:
I'd love to see some nice rare games come to the the xbox, games such as Perfect Dark. Nintendo own 49% of Rare, microsoft was in talks with owning some of that so some Rare games would go to the xbox aswell as the Gamecube.
Nice post.
Although I have to say my own suspicions are that Rare will go multi-format, or at-least that is my own suspicions of the matter.
The fact is that everything is pointing towards a Multi-Format scenario, not just now, but it has done from around the 'Christmas card' time.
Recently, the erasing of Donkey Kong games from the developmanet lists points to some sort of disatisfaction from Nintendo.
Why? well consider that Donkey Kong, a character back in the hands of Nintendo is being developed at the HQ of Kyoto with Donkey Kong Plus. It would mean that Nintendo knows something of the matter and have subsequently told Rare to use their own franchises from now on.
But what way will it leave the Gamecube if Rare was to go multi-format? Really I can't see it doing much, certainly it would be a big blow, but you have to consider that it would become a big blow to Rare too.
They would be without the Injecting of Cash from Nintendo-almost continous, they would be without the world renowned Franchises of Donkey Kong, Starfox, Banjo-Kazzooie (Which is owned by Nintendo too).
And of course they would be a little peaved knowing that they are without the quality assurances of The Super Mario Club, which of course is a Nintendo In-House development studio that guaranteed the success of Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and any other Rare smash hit.
But we'll here something fairly soon on the matter, Nintendo Official Magazine this month is going to Rareware studios to test out some Gamecube Action game and are reporting it in next-months Magazine. Wheather or not that particular title will be a muli-format release, only time will tell.
But I'll leave it at this, would it all surprise you if this Rare situation was all Pure Nintendo fabricated Lies to highlight the Company and therefore Gamecube?
Who knows, but its a possible idea.
Although I have to say my own suspicions are that Rare will go multi-format, or at-least that is my own suspicions of the matter.
The fact is that everything is pointing towards a Multi-Format scenario, not just now, but it has done from around the 'Christmas card' time.
Recently, the erasing of Donkey Kong games from the developmanet lists points to some sort of disatisfaction from Nintendo.
Why? well consider that Donkey Kong, a character back in the hands of Nintendo is being developed at the HQ of Kyoto with Donkey Kong Plus. It would mean that Nintendo knows something of the matter and have subsequently told Rare to use their own franchises from now on.
But what way will it leave the Gamecube if Rare was to go multi-format? Really I can't see it doing much, certainly it would be a big blow, but you have to consider that it would become a big blow to Rare too.
They would be without the Injecting of Cash from Nintendo-almost continous, they would be without the world renowned Franchises of Donkey Kong, Starfox, Banjo-Kazzooie (Which is owned by Nintendo too).
And of course they would be a little peaved knowing that they are without the quality assurances of The Super Mario Club, which of course is a Nintendo In-House development studio that guaranteed the success of Goldeneye, Perfect Dark and any other Rare smash hit.
But we'll here something fairly soon on the matter, Nintendo Official Magazine this month is going to Rareware studios to test out some Gamecube Action game and are reporting it in next-months Magazine. Wheather or not that particular title will be a muli-format release, only time will tell.
But I'll leave it at this, would it all surprise you if this Rare situation was all Pure Nintendo fabricated Lies to highlight the Company and therefore Gamecube?
Who knows, but its a possible idea.
Great post. Thing is Nintendo have got this far without any help from Rare and the Gamecube is doing really well, I think it will harm Nintendo if Rare do part company but it wont hurt them as much as it would if they did it when the N64 was still around. Rare practically single handedly kept the N64 going but it's not the same case with Gamecube.
i think it would be brilliant if rare switched to ps2 or xbox, cos they are the best in the world i say. aand i own a ps2. the only problem is that rares colourful games wouldnt suit the xbox and the ps2's black, better at nintendo's purple!
Great post Russ. It would be sad to see rare going multiformat- ot because it would be a great loss, but because a good tie had been broken. I would have thought that Nintendo wouldn't have been troubled that much if rare went multiformat, maybe a little bit, but they would be able to adjust with the change.
Again, great post.
:)
Again, great post.
:)
Another day, another snippet of news from everyone’s favourite third party developer (if you’re an Nintendo fan at least) – Rare. This time comes the news that two prospective Gamecube and GBA releases, Donkey Kong Racing and Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers have been struck of future release schedules, possibly forever. Which begs the question, have Rare finally bitten the bullet and cut their ties with Nintendo? If they have, then this causes repercussions that will reverberate all around the gaming world. This post will examine the potential effects that Rare ‘going solo’ would have, not only on Gamecube and Nintendo, but on the dynamics of the industry as a whole.
About a year ago now, Sega were struggling. Sales of the Dreamcast were slipping, despite arguably one of the best software line-ups of any console ever. Money spent on advertising was reaping fruitless rewards, their killer app, RPG/action adventure hybrid Shenmue was not widely accepted as they hoped it would, especially in comparison to Square’s flagship franchise Final Fantasy, and with the Playstation 2 on the horizon (not to mention Microsoft and Nintendo’s efforts) the future was anything but rosy. But with one decision, their fortunes changed. By deciding to cease production of Dreamcast and switching to software production only, overnight Sega went from a struggling company to one of the hottest commodities in the industry – every major console player wanted Sega games to grace their console, and there was speculation of a Microsoft takeover. It didn’t materialise, but in one swift move Sega’s share price rocketed and their fortunes took a turn for the better.
The point of that little history lesson was to make certain comparisons between Rare and Sega. Sure, Rare aren’t in the console business, and they certainly aren’t struggling, but Rare could too make the transition that Sega could. From being restricted to Nintendo only, if Rare went multiformat they could become even bigger players in the industry, not to mention tripling their games sales, and ultimately revenue – an attractive proposition for any company. As has been well documented, the days of exclusive games are practically over –despite a few ties, most developers understand the financial benefits at least of making their games appearing on all consoles.
How will Rare going multi-format affect Nintendo? Arguably, Rare saved the N64. With the long droughts between major releases and a lack of major third party support due to the high cost of cartridges, Rare’s games kept the ’64 afloat – Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Blast Corps (well, maybe not that), Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, DK64, etc. Nintendo owe Rare a lot – without those games their place in the industry might have been under threat, and despite the part-ownership element, Rare could have made a lot more money than they did from multiformat releases. Miyamoto has also made his appreciation of them clear, citing when asked about his favourite developer (bar Nintendo of course) as Rare, saying they make “very good games”.
But now? Well, there is only one release on the way – Starfox Adventures, which seems to have been an age in development. Kameo hasn’t been seen since two Spaceworlds ago, and the aforementioned DK games have both been struck off release dates. The mischievous, and now infamous, Christmas card could have been an indicator of their discontent, maybe Nintendo are restricting their creative licence - who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps any potential animosity might arise from the fact that Nintendo have lazily farmed out old franchises, in this case the Starfox crew, to Rare rather than let them stick with the Dinosaur Planet ones. I may be clutching at straws here, but it is valid nonetheless. Also, Nintendo aren’t as dependent on Rare anymore – they have the support of Square and Resident Evil franchise, not to mention their new philosophy.
But let’s look at another perspective. Sure, it can be argued that Nintendo might not be able to live without Rare, but think of it this way –can Rare live without Nintendo? Some of Rare’s most popular games have been from the Nintendo ‘stable’, whilst some of Rare’s own creations – Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini haven’t been as successful. It can be argued that, FPSs aside, games featuring more established characters have done better. Plus, Nintendo have been very patient in allowing Rare to take as much time as possible when creating games – others might not be so understanding.
Would a Rare multi-format decision hurt Gamecube? Probably. Would it bother Nintendo? Maybe, but they always maintain that they don’t pressurise anyone else to make games for their console. Whatever transpires, in this industry of card games, Rare hold a powerful hand, and what they do with it could determine who wins the game (what a dodgy analogy).
Thank you and goodnight.
About a year ago now, Sega were struggling. Sales of the Dreamcast were slipping, despite arguably one of the best software line-ups of any console ever. Money spent on advertising was reaping fruitless rewards, their killer app, RPG/action adventure hybrid Shenmue was not widely accepted as they hoped it would, especially in comparison to Square’s flagship franchise Final Fantasy, and with the Playstation 2 on the horizon (not to mention Microsoft and Nintendo’s efforts) the future was anything but rosy. But with one decision, their fortunes changed. By deciding to cease production of Dreamcast and switching to software production only, overnight Sega went from a struggling company to one of the hottest commodities in the industry – every major console player wanted Sega games to grace their console, and there was speculation of a Microsoft takeover. It didn’t materialise, but in one swift move Sega’s share price rocketed and their fortunes took a turn for the better.
The point of that little history lesson was to make certain comparisons between Rare and Sega. Sure, Rare aren’t in the console business, and they certainly aren’t struggling, but Rare could too make the transition that Sega could. From being restricted to Nintendo only, if Rare went multiformat they could become even bigger players in the industry, not to mention tripling their games sales, and ultimately revenue – an attractive proposition for any company. As has been well documented, the days of exclusive games are practically over –despite a few ties, most developers understand the financial benefits at least of making their games appearing on all consoles.
How will Rare going multi-format affect Nintendo? Arguably, Rare saved the N64. With the long droughts between major releases and a lack of major third party support due to the high cost of cartridges, Rare’s games kept the ’64 afloat – Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Blast Corps (well, maybe not that), Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, DK64, etc. Nintendo owe Rare a lot – without those games their place in the industry might have been under threat, and despite the part-ownership element, Rare could have made a lot more money than they did from multiformat releases. Miyamoto has also made his appreciation of them clear, citing when asked about his favourite developer (bar Nintendo of course) as Rare, saying they make “very good games”.
But now? Well, there is only one release on the way – Starfox Adventures, which seems to have been an age in development. Kameo hasn’t been seen since two Spaceworlds ago, and the aforementioned DK games have both been struck off release dates. The mischievous, and now infamous, Christmas card could have been an indicator of their discontent, maybe Nintendo are restricting their creative licence - who knows what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps any potential animosity might arise from the fact that Nintendo have lazily farmed out old franchises, in this case the Starfox crew, to Rare rather than let them stick with the Dinosaur Planet ones. I may be clutching at straws here, but it is valid nonetheless. Also, Nintendo aren’t as dependent on Rare anymore – they have the support of Square and Resident Evil franchise, not to mention their new philosophy.
But let’s look at another perspective. Sure, it can be argued that Nintendo might not be able to live without Rare, but think of it this way –can Rare live without Nintendo? Some of Rare’s most popular games have been from the Nintendo ‘stable’, whilst some of Rare’s own creations – Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini haven’t been as successful. It can be argued that, FPSs aside, games featuring more established characters have done better. Plus, Nintendo have been very patient in allowing Rare to take as much time as possible when creating games – others might not be so understanding.
Would a Rare multi-format decision hurt Gamecube? Probably. Would it bother Nintendo? Maybe, but they always maintain that they don’t pressurise anyone else to make games for their console. Whatever transpires, in this industry of card games, Rare hold a powerful hand, and what they do with it could determine who wins the game (what a dodgy analogy).
Thank you and goodnight.
Page: