by Playfuls Staff |
3rd January 2007
Chris and Tim Stamper, which were among the founders of the British gaming company Rare back in 1982, have departed, 1UP reported.[more]
Rare was founded in 1982 by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper as Ashby Computer Graphics (ACG). Rare eventually became a second-party developer for the Nintendo gaming platforms, but in 2002 was acquired by Microsoft. The Redmond giant paid US$377 million for the company, a record for a video game developer.
Microsoft declared to 1UP that the founders’ departure has nothing to do with the lagging sales of the last Viva Pinata game for Xbox 360 (the original idea for the game belonged to Tim Stamper). With a "general audiences" or "everyone" rating, the game provides bright, colorful visuals, intended to appeal to children and adults alike. Many gamers and gaming journalists proclaim that Viva Piñata is one of Rare's best outings yet, with IGN saying that it is the best Rare game since Microsoft acquired the company in 2002. Despite its good overall ratings, Viva Pinata sales are disappointing, but MS denies any connection between the game’s failure and the departure of the two founders:
"Chris and Tim have helped shape Rare into the world-renowned development studio that is it today and their impact on the videogame industry as a whole is well known. They are simply leaving to pursue other opportunities and we wish them luck in their future endeavors."
Under their leadership, the studio created multimillion-dollar sellers such as GoldenEye 007, Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64.
Mark Betteridge, a Rare employee of 19 years, takes over as studio director, while Gregg Mayles has been named as creative director.
Microsoft added that the Stampers haven’t disclosed any details regarding their immediate plans and their departure “will not impact the development teams at Rare.”
"We thank them for the many years they have contributed to the Rare brand and wish them luck in their future endeavors. From the early beginnings as a company known as Ultimate - Play the Game and the creation of the first title Jetpac in 1983, to the recent release of Viva Pinata as the cornerstone of Microsoft Game Studios' broadening strategy, the creative minds at Rare have contributed immensely to the success of the videogame industry as a whole," Microsoft said in a statement sent to GameDaily BIZ.
