Rare Video Interview
Posted by benadmin on Tuesday, October 22 2002

Arcticle from GamerWeb Xbox

The Rareware TV Interview

GW:TV presents a massive video interview with the co-founders of Rare, Chris and Tim Stamper, along with Ed Fries for good measure. Xbox Kameo movie included.

Fresh from the sale of Rare Ltd. to Microsoft, Chris and Tim Stamper thought it only proper to have a sit down with us and explain what's going on. To keep a beady eye on the legendary Rare co-founders, now the lawful property of the software giant set to take online gaming into the next xosphere, Ed Fries took part in the fun as well.

We're pleased to bring you this uber classy video feature interview with Chris and Tim Stamper, and Ed Fries.

So what's the deal with this interview? Well since it's hot stuff, we've decided to broadcast it before the launch of our imminent TV show on Sky, (that's New Game for those of you who ignore our lovingly crafted ads) right here on GamerWeb:TV. This means you can either right click 'save target as' to get your hands on the 69.3MB Mpeg file, or if you're on broadband, then you may as well just 'click and stream' the beauty.

The interview lasts about seventeen minutes and, because a video feature like this deserves the love, we've added in clips of some of Rare's best moments from the past and a few from their forthcoming Xbox killer, Kameo. The video also reveals the moment the announcement was made at Microsoft's X02 event in Spain, along with some video snippets from the event. But what was on the agenda for discussion? Here are just some of the focal points of the interview:

Chris Stamper comments on their position with Nintendo and reveals the true extent (or maybe lack thereof, you'll just have to watch) of the bloodbath between themselves and Nintendo, their ex lover and former major shareholder who recently had some rather heated words towards Rare, courtesy of NOA's Peter McDougal. Will they miss Nintendo? And was there a dig aimed at Pikmin in their Kameo demo, or was it everyone's imagination?

What do the Stampers really think about Xbox development? They speak frankly and unreservedly about what they feel they've learnt so far about the platform's development environment, and what the future holds for Rare with Xbox.

What do they feel about the IPs they've retained from the Nintendo era, versus those they've lost to The Big N, and what franchises can they exploit on Xbox? And what are their plans for Xbox Live?

Ed Fries talks about the acquisition of Rare from Microsoft's perspective, and draws some comparisons with their recent acquisition of the US developer behind Halo - Bungie. How much confidence did Microsoft have in Rare before they took the plunge?

Do Chris and Tim play hands-on roles in development these days or do they just sit around? Does Ed think his already bulging games expertise can benefit from their newfound relationship with Rare? Why is Rare run so differently from traditional developers, how does it all work on the inside?

Ed also comments on some other Xbox developments, including the status of their online relationship with EA in Europe (in light of FIFA 03's shaky status), Xbox titles in general and of course, Xbox Live.
This is a very cool interview that is not to be missed by fans of the development powerhouse, Xbox owners wanting to find out more about thus ultra-slick games outfit, or those who, quite understandably, have probably never seen an interview with these guys ever before. It's a rare glimpse into the masterminds behind Rare, and you have to check it out.

We also have the Kameo demo running on Xbox in full, which is very good quality video and direct feed audio. You can download it separately below. As ever, GW:TV access is required to view, which you can get for next to nothing here thanks to economics.

Adam Doree (GamerWeb Xbox)
Fries! You're under arrest.

Click here for the Original arcticle

Click here for the Video Interview