Rare feels 'lucky' to be owned by Microsoft

Can do things that are 'slightly more out there'.

Legendary British developer Rare, responsible for classics GoldenEye, Banjo and Perfect Dark, is "lucky" to be owned by Microsoft, according to its senior software engineer.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com at the Develop conference in Brighton last week, senior software engineer Nick Burton said that Rare doesn't suffer from some of the commercial pressure that other developers do.

Some gamers reacted negatively to Microsoft's purchase of Rare in 2002, lamenting the fact that the studio would no longer be making games for Nintendo consoles.

However, Burton hit back at critics of the studio, saying: "We're lucky being inside MGS, that our remit is to kind of expand and broaden this demographic and do things that are slightly more out there. In a way we don't have some of the commercial pressures that some other developers do. We can take a risk now and again. Piñata was a risk and it's paid off. Would that have come out of another studio? It might have come out of Lionhead maybe. It might have come out of Will Wright, something like that. Spore is fantastic, but massive risk. Of course, nobody thought of the ability to actually make creatures that actually look like they're several creatures doing something. A sure-fire success without doubt."

For more from Rare's Nick Burton head over to part one of our week-long interview, from which you'll be led effortlessly into part two and part three.