In a new issue of Retro Gamer, an interview with Phil Tossell–an ex-Rare developer–sheds some light on how Microsoft managed the developer after the purchase from Nintendo and what the company expected from the team. A highlight on NeoGAF shows some of the more interesting points, including the fact that development on Kameo 2 was shelved because Microsoft wanted Rare working on Kinect titles. Fans will remember that before Microsoft purchased Rare, Kameo was slated to be a GameCube title.
Kameo 2 was given the go-ahead and was looking very promising when, after a further three months in production, it was abruptly shelved. The reason? Microsoft decided to focus all of Rare’s attention to its great waving hope, the Kinect.
Tossell also says he believes that Microsoft put the developer in a terrible position, essentially handing them a poisoned chalice in terms of development.
“We were being asked to make the games we’d always made for an audience that didn’t want those sort of games. The reason we did Black Widow, Crackdown and aged up Kameo was because we were trying to bridge that gap but Microsoft wouldn’t let us.”
It’s interesting to see these sorts of things come from someone who works inside the company, as Nintendo fans have known for years that Rare’s talent was being wasted on making Kinect games. What do you think of this development?
