Microsoft – Rare blocks fan site’s documentary project

Microsoft owned studio Rare was once a mighty force in the video game industry, with iconic titles such as GoldenEye 007. The studio had a decent following from the fan community. One fan site will be closing its doors after Rare blocked the fan project.

MundoRare, a fan site dedicated to all things Rare, was working on a project to create a documentary about the studio and its 25 year history. MundoRare opened up back in 2001 and is possibly the largest fan site dedicated to the studio’s work. The site occasionally had the first scoop on projects Rare was rumored to be working on such as Killer Instinct 3 and even the Xbox Live adaptation of GoldenEye 007, which was reportedly canned by Microsoft.

In its farewell post, the site explains why MundoRare will be shutting down amongst details of how the deal for a documentary fell apart. Also, the site openly criticizes the path Rare plans on taking with Kinect.

Apparently talks between the site and Rare/Microsoft on creating a documentary started going bad. Rare/Microsoft finally put the kibosh on the project by stating that the film wouldn’t be “on message.”

One of the arguments used against the project while talks were going bad was MundoRare’s recent negative impression piece of Kinect Sports. It sounds like Rare/Microsoft feared that MundoRare would openly criticize the Kinect. The site criticizes Rare’s artistic direction by developing Kinect Sports.

Kinect Sports may have been Rare’s biggest artistic disappointment in years, but it’s far from being their only misstep.

At the time development focused on Kinect, projects like a third Perfect Dark were ruled out. Rare also spent an entire year working on GoldenEye 007 without even knowing if Microsoft was going to be able to release the game, which led to the cancellation of a finished product after wasting months of hard work.

Way before that, they debuted in Xbox with a minor title lacking the right audience, Grabbed by the Ghoulies. They adapted the controversial Conker late in the lifetime of the original Xbox, censoring some of its contents despite the alleged freedom that Microsoft’s ownership offered. Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero were delayed an endless number of times, only to be transferred into the Xbox 360 in a hurry, which affected negatively the quality of both games. More recently, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts changed drastically the formula of its predecessors, a turn of events that was not well received by everyone. Only Viva Piñata seems to endure unblemished, although it was followed by a sequel that felt more like an add-on than a truly independent game.

In conclusion MundoRare clearly states that the folks at the site can’t follow where Rare plans on going, so they have decided to close down the site.

Sadly, we see Kinect Sports not only as an uninspired response to Nintendo’s success, but also as a major turnabout that collides with the interests of our website. As a game targeted to casual players, its audience doesn’t include our readers or us. Naturally, if that’s the path Rare wants to follow from now on, we can’t go along with them.

The whole situation is pretty sad as this site may be the last batch of loyal Rare supporters in the world. What does one say when your fans give up on you? Here is what Rare had to say about the situation:

Everyone at Rare was very sorry to hear that MundoRare would be closing. We’ve appreciated all their support and work over the years. We wish everyone involved with the site all the very best for the future.

The folks at MundoRare in its farewell post also wish the hardworking developers at Rare best wishes. In a situation like this, Just who is bad guy here?

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