Rare talks Nintendo relationships and VC

[Neos]

Rare recently spoke on their continuing relationship with Nintendo, ports and possible Virtual Console releases for past Rare-developed titles.

JT: "We have an in-house Game Boy team at Rare, and Microsoft never wanted us to change that. Not long after they bought us, they signed to release Monster Truck Madness and stuff on the Game Boy Advance. They're not in the handheld market, so they never saw them as a rival, I think.

JT: I think since Microsoft owns us as well, the Game Boy team carried on doing the Donkey Kong Country ports. I think Nintendo are quite happy with the arrangement as well.

JC: There's no conflicts with the rest of Microsoft's output. I think, as far as they're concerned, if it makes money, they're ahead. "

"If Rare is still working on some Nintendo ports that are actually Nintendo properties, does that mean you can still revisit those series, like Donkey Kong Country, or Killer Instinct?

JT: Nintendo like us to do the ports of the games that we did for them for their format.

We've done the Donkey Kong Country remakes because [Rare] was the home of it. Nintendo have asked us to do those. I think there's still a really good relationship between Rare and Nintendo. Yeah, we get on really well.

That kind of thing doesn't happen very often.

JC: No, I think it's unique to the fact that Microsoft aren't planning on releasing a handheld, so there's no conflict of interest there. I think the management is still friends with people at Nintendo -- like Ken Lobb went over [to Microsoft] as well, so there's still connections between the two businesses.

I mentioned Killer Instinct -- a lot of people are hoping that you guys are going to do that again. I thought it would be very difficult since you're Microsoft-owned, but if you do have that relationship, then on the handheld page...

JT: The thing is, when we were working with Nintendo, there were some properties that were ours -- and are ours, furthermore. Banjo is a great example. Banjo is all ours, although potentially Nintendo could release the old games for the Virtual Console on the Wii. Any future ventures would be from Rare on whatever format we're working on. It's a pretty even split. Obviously they didn't give us Donkey Kong. I don't know why. (laughs)

This is actually a good sign for the Wii owners still waiting for the old rare games to be released on the VC.
Ohh how i would spend to much money just to be able to play Goldeneye or Banjo again..