Replaced Rare?

[Veknoid_Outcast]

I've long thought the transition from Rare to Retro was amazingly smooth and successful.

Rare was hemorrhaging talent in 2000-2002, and was proving too expensive to fund or to buy. So Nintendo strikes a deal with former Iguana employees to satisfy the market Rare had previously served. The result: one of the best games ever made in Metroid Prime.

I never understood why folks bemoaned Nintendo passing on Rare in 2002, when Retro proved a perfect substitute. Seriously, Nintendo went from Banjo-Tooie and Perfect Dark in 2000, to Conker in 2001, to Metroid Prime in 2002. That's amazing.

Retro has proved remarkably durable over the last 15 years, producing great game after great game. Meanwhile, Rare has become mired in mediocrity. I think it speaks volumes to Nintendo's stewardship, and how it's essential for Retro's success and how it was vitally important to Rare's golden age -- along with, of course, the leadership of the Stampers and some of the best game designers, programmers, and composers in video game history.