Joystiq

Rare has hired Craig Duncan to take on the senior studio director role. Duncan will oversee all product development and staff management at the UK-based developer, part of Microsoft Game Studios.

Duncan comes to Rare with experience in product development at Codemasters, Midway Games and Sumo Digital. His credits include the Colin McRae Rally series and Sonic & Sega All-Sars Racing (pictured).

Duncan's appointment at Rare follows last month's report that the studio was replacing its full-time art staff with contract workers. Rare is rumored to be working on a sequel to the "breakout hit" Kinect Sports -- perhaps with a racing minigame, now?

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/rare-appoints-former-colin-mcrae-sonic-racing-dev-as-studio-dir/

The firing of the art team really dissapointed me and lowered my confidence that Rare could ever truly make a come back to the  quality of the Nintendo days. This appointment does alittle alongside the idea that Rare will still have some sort of art team (Contract workers) but this whole Kinect Sports sequel and Avatar creation really has me down.

I want to see Rare create some new games for old IP's. I want to see Conkey , Banjo , Joanne etc...etc... heck I wouldn't mind a new Blast Corps or BattleToads, KillerInstinct etc...etc...

Microsoft lets hope with this new appointment you will try to recapture the greatness of the 64 days. Instead of handing all the mediocre crap to Rare!