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Back in September 2002, Microsoft, in a move that sent shockwaves through the gaming industry, bought Nintendo’s star second-party developers, the UK-based Rare, in a deal worth an alleged $375,000,000. Since then, Rare’s output onto the Xbox has been scarce, to say the least, with their only offering being 2003’s disappointing (especially considering the codeshop’s stellar Nintendo 64 output) Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
Since then, all of Rare’s titles have been plagued by delays and the waning enthusiasm of once-faithful gamers. And today, another of those titles was set back yet again.
Kameo: Elements of Power began life as a Gamecube game, and moved to Xbox at the time of Microsoft’s acquisition of the Twycross developers. The action adventure title was originally marked down for a January 2005 release, but in an announcement on their official website earlier today, they revealed that Kameo has been delayed indefinitely. Their statement follows in full:
Here’s one you didn’t see coming! After a lot of thought and discussion, Rare and Microsoft Game Studios have decided to push back the launch of Kameo: Elements of Power in order to incorporate several changes and new features (some minor, some not so minor).
We realise this is frustrating in the short term to all those of you avidly following the game’s progress and itching to bust some Troll heads, and we can only apologise for keeping you in suspense, but rest assured that every last one of these new developments is designed to enhance and expand the overall experience. We want this to be the best game possible, so like any delays we may have instigated in the past (surely not) we have every confidence that this one will ultimately work out for the best. Stay tuned for further updates.
This announcement, particularly the confirmation of “major changes“, has prompted speculation that the title may even have been moved over to the still under wraps Xbox 2, which many industry analysts are predicting a late 2005 release for.
The next game on Rare’s release schedule is Conker: Live and Reloaded, currently set to hit the shelves in March of next year. Let’s just hope it doesn’t fall foul of Rare’s notorious penchant for delays.
