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24th September 2002:
Microsoft reveals Rare plans (X02)
We knew this was going to be big, but five games in two years, and a buyout worth $375 million?
Posted by Marc Hull - Xbox,GameCube - UK and Europe

It was rumoured for so long, but only over the last week has it really began to sink in that it might actually be true. Today's announcement from Microsoft confirms GameCube owners' worst fears, and Xbox owners' dreams - Rare is developing for Microsoft. However, while you may have known about this deal from company leaks, nothing indicated how big a deal this would be, and how quickly it would take effect. The press release from X02 states that Rare's first Xbox game could be out as early as next Spring.

This deal has obviously been simmering for a long time, and from the buyout figure we can see why. $375 million (Ł240 million) was the price of Rare, making this one of the most expensive developer aquisitions in videogaming history. However, the incentive is now obvious - for this figure, Rare will develop at least five games, over a variety of genres, for release within the next two years. Also, two of the five were confirmed as Kameo: Elements of Power, which will be the first release in early 2003, and a sequel to (wait for it) Perfect Dark!

Great news for Xbox owners all round, but not so great for those who bought GameCubes. As previously reported, Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet will be the last excusive GameCube game, and since this contract mentions Xbox exclusivity, it seems that Kameo: Elements of Power will now not make an appearance on the little purple cube.

Is this deal worth buying an Xbox for? We'll let you know when we see the next Perfect Dark game in motion. Until then, be sure to stick with our continuing X02 coverage over the next few days.

Marc Hull

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