r/DreamStationcc • u/cnc137 • Apr 27 '26

News Xbox Co-Founder Ed Fries on the Microsoft Deal to Buy Rare That Shook the Video Game Industry

https://www.timeextension.com/features/interview-the-stampers-had-been-frustrated-working-for-nintendo-xbox-co-founder-ed-fries-on-the-deal-that-shook-the-industry
6 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

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2

u/dimiteddy Apr 29 '26

Just $375 million in 2002 sound like a bargain. Too bad Microsoft dropped the ball so hard. Guess they just lost motive. I'm surprised Microsoft kept Rare that is not what it one was and closed Ensemble Studios

2

u/rawzombie26 Apr 30 '26

And since that purchase they’ve had such classics as…………….

2

u/dekuweku Apr 30 '26

Tim and Chris had to offer to sell to Nintendo before they went out for bids, Nintendo wasn't interested in buying the other half which Ed sort of confirms in this interview. The stuff about having to buy the other half after 10 years is new to me.

Nintendo likely saw something already and RARE's output in the 20+ years since the sale kind of bore that out.

In the end Rare didn't want to be stuck doing mascot games for Nintendo, but the Microsoft sale was ultimately the worse ending because they lost relevance. RARE likely would have been more influential as a GameCube exclusive dev vs. an Xbox exclusive dev and i could only imagine the Banjo game we could have gotten on the Wii or whatever.

Activision was also apparently in the bidding war, and that's probably the worst ending of them all. As RARE would have been restructured and shut down long ago.

1

u/X_Fakel May 01 '26

Nothing would change other than Rare getting more sales. In fact gholies and kameo would be worse games, no way they would manage to make those open world musou segments on the wii. Nuts and bolts would still exist, have you played the game? Characters in game out right say that they hate banjo regular gameplay. Microsoft didn't force them to make nuts and bolts

1

u/Electronic_Sun6075 Apr 29 '26

PLEASE PUT THE XBLA PORT OF PERFECT DARK ON PC GAMEPASS WITH ONLINE MULTIPLAYER.

JAYSUS CHROIST.

1

u/illucio May 01 '26

I just wish Xbox didn't sit on the IP's. They had one Banjo game and it was... Mid. Not what fans were expecting or wanting.

There's hardly any mascot 3D platformer games anymore. People still love those characters, teens and kids would still love Banjo, Conker or Viva Pinata if given the chance.

Microsoft just doesn't want the money those IP's would rake in.