Would RARE still be as relevant as it was in the N64 days if MS hadn´t bought them?

[swii26]

Nintendo NEVER fully owned Rare, they invested in 49% of the company making it a second party developer. Nintendo was offered to buy out Rare but wasn't interested so Rare founders Chris and Tim Stamper sold their 51% share to Microsoft before leaving the company along with many others. Nintendo eventually sold their share to Microsoft... It would have been silly for 2 competing companies to own parts of the same developer.

Nintendo kept their franshises (Donkey Kong & Star Fox) and Microsoft got all the rest