Stamper brothers leave Rare

360 News | Time to shed a tear.

1UP has revealed that Chris and Tim Stamper, two of Rares three founders have left the studio. This comes four years after Microsoft's acquisition of Rare.

Microsoft said "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."

Mark Betteridge, who has worked for Rare for 19 years and Gregg Mayles will succeed the Stampers as Studio Director and Creative Director respectively.

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13 Comments

El Taco

5 years ago

Meh, doesn't really affect me....I don't have a 360

Spanca

5 years ago

Hmm, not sure what to think of this. I'm playing through Viva Pinata at the moment and it has 'N64-Rare" written all over it. How much of an influence these two have had/would continue to have had is hard to say, and if they really were that great then why have Rare's games sucked in the last 5 years up until recently?

Perhaps a few change ups are a good thing. I'm beginning to think Banjo Kazooie could become a very important game for a lot more reasons now.

Jabjabs

5 years ago

The day they sold the studio to MS they have probably been waiting for this, I'm sure they have more than enough cash to live "comfortably" on.

Karai Pantsu

5 years ago

Jabjabs wrote

The day they sold the studio to MS they have probably been waiting for this, I'm sure they have more than enough cash to live "comfortably" on.

I'd be surprised if they don't go off and form their own little dev studio. Okay, not so much surprised as saddened...
Really hoping that this isn't a nail in the coffin of the new Banjo Kazooie

armageddon12

5 years ago

What? I thought they left with the Microsoft acquisition. Or at least planned to. So the fact that they were still there all this time comes as a suprise.

Jim Dash

5 years ago

Im happy that the replacements have been with Rare for so long, that they would know what it is all about..

I am expecting nothing but absolute greatness from Banjo Kazooie 360, and if it is crap, no more Rare for me.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

El Taco wrote

Meh, doesn't really affect me....I don't have a 360

So why comment?

--------------

I see Rare and Microsoft as the same company now. Microsoft's games are usually very solid and so are Rare's. I don't see future projects being rushed ports etc because these 2 guys have left.

realitybites

5 years ago

Viva Pinata is a very good game. It is very reminiscent of the N64 days.

I really enjoyed Dinosaur Planet on the GC. Again one of those gems that most people bypassed.

Although Kameo is still a mixed bag but beautifully presented.

People come and go you hope that the culture within Rare will sustain it. If not there is plenty of other games out there to play.

ugh the boot

5 years ago

Actually Starfox: Dinosaur Planet was the one and only game on the Gamecube that really dissapointed me (oh except Batallion Wars at the end of the consoles life but that was mainly the controls). It was so boring. Jest run from A to B picking up gems and similar rubbish. It was one big collecting game. The battles were like all context based so there was no fun or skill involved, just pressing a button when told. I remember getting real far in it and after getting to the end of a huge level and defeating the t-rex and getting another gem I went "f@#k this game, i'm so sick of collecting all this pointless sh!t!" and turned it off....never to return to it. It was also the first time i'd ever gotten bored of a game and turned it off after playing it for a while. It was such a dissapointment especially after being addicted to Lylat Wars. That was just me though.

Viva Pinata is absolutely awesome. I think a lot of people should definately try it out because I haven't played too many games like it (none infact!). It's technically very solid aswell right up there with Dead Rising and Gears of War.

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

Yeah, Star Fox Adventure was a bad game. I switched it off and never returned when I got to the "face your fears" section. I hate stupid things like that.

magrat

5 years ago

Sin Ogaris wrote

Yeah, Star Fox Adventure was a bad game. I switched it off and never returned

Didn't do much for me, but I couldn't get my fiance off it - she loved it and played it through in the trace-like state she gets in when I do manage to convice her to play something. Not quite sure why she liked it so much, but there you go. It did look pretty nice graphically when it came out.

Jellyfish

5 years ago

Viva Piñata for GOTY! I love how people will go "OMG they left their next game will be on the Wii and be better than GameX!"

Kaboth

5 years ago

armageddon12 wrote

What? I thought they left with the Microsoft acquisition. Or at least planned to. So the fact that they were still there all this time comes as a suprise.

I thought that too in fact I thought they're loss was why Rare had gone off the rails for a few years. Not sure what to think of them leaving now, seems awkward timing when Rare has finally found critical acclaim again with Viva Pinata. That one came pretty much out of nowhere rather than the years and years which went into Kameo and PD0.

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