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UK studio Rare once intended Viva Pinata to be a mobile game, but ported the idea to 360 after deciding against developing a second Perfect Dark game due to FPS saturation in the market.
The revelations come part of a new Develop feature, where the studio’s Nick Burton pulls the curtain back on inside happenings at Rare during the studio’s eight years under Microsoft ownership.
Burton, today the producer of technology and communication at the studio, said that it took “a good few years” to properly integrate with Microsoft after it made a record-breaking acquisition of the group.
“From [Microsoft’s] perspective they didn’t want to come in and change everything and break us, and obviously we didn’t want them to,” he said.
Burton also talks through the sensitive period after the release of Grabbed By the Ghoulies; a debut Xbox game for the studio that failed to receive unanimous praise the group is so accustomed to.
“Maybe its appeal wasn’t suited to that console at that time,” he said.
“I would think it would be better received if it was on the 360 right now. Obviously if you get feedback from any of your games and it’s not as well received as you’d like then, of course, that’s the kind of thing that hurts.”
Burton also recounts the Herculean task of developing not one, but two Xbox 360 launch window titles in Perfect Dark and Kameo.
“I’m very proud of both of them as far as launch games are concerned… I Suppose two Xbox 360 launch games was kind of crazy,” he said.
“We had about 60 people on Kameo and 90 on Perfect Dark Zero. Both those games you came away thinking, gosh, if only I had another six months.”
Go here to read ‘Rare: My part in its history‘
