Rare Ltd

Rare Ltd. is a British video game developer located in Twycross, Leicestershire. The company was established in 1985 by 'Ultimate Play the Game' founders Tim and Chris Stamper. During its early years, Rare primarily concentrated on Nintendo Entertainment System games, creating successful titles such as Wizards & Warriors, Battletoads, and R.C. Pro-Am. In 1994, Rare became a second-party developer for Nintendo and achieved international recognition with critically acclaimed games such as Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Conker's Bad Fur Day, among others. In 2002, the company was purchased by Microsoft and has since focused on developing games exclusively for Microsoft video game consoles. Notable releases include Kameo: Elements of Power, Viva Piñata, and Kinect Sports. In 2007, founders Tim and Chris Stamper left the company to pursue "other opportunities". Rare's current Studio Creative Director is Simon Woodroffe, who previously worked at several studios such as Midway Games, Ubisoft, and Sega.