Kinect Sports dev hit by redundancies

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 16 February, 2011

What next for Rare?

Staff at Kinect Sports developer Rare are under threat of redundancy, Microsoft has confirmed.

A "small number of employees" at the legendary UK studio have been notified that their jobs are at risk, Microsoft said.

"While redundancies are never easy, these organizational changes are part of Rare's ongoing strategy and operational planning which typically coincides with the shipment of a title," Microsoft said in a statement issued to Edge.

"We are working closely with the affected employees to support them through this transition and help them apply for other roles within Microsoft.

Speaking to Edge, sources said the entire 42 person art department at Rare were told their jobs were at risk of redundancy and all affected staff had to apply for 23 managerial jobs at Rare's new Birmingham office.

If true, 19 staff will be let go – as Edge points out, the maximum number of redundancies allowed under EU employment law without the need for a full consultation process.

Microsoft, however, countered this claim. "Whilst we're not discussing the exact numbers involved, I can assure you that it's far fewer than you've indicated and represents a small percentage of the total Rare team," the Xbox 360 manufacturer said.

Reports suggest Rare intends to become a studio primarily staffed by contractors. Edge's source said development of the Kinect Sports franchise may be shared between Rare and Kinect Joy Ride maker Big Park.

In October last year Microsoft veteran Scott Henson took over Rare as studio manager. Following his appointment he told Eurogamer Kinect development is the "centrepiece" of Rare's strategy.

"Kinect will be a key part of the studio's future," he said. "I'm not suggesting it's going to be exclusive, but it will be the centrepiece of our strategy for sure, because there is a lot of opportunity there."

Rare's impressive back catalogue of franchises includes Kameo: Elements of Power, Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark and Viva Piñata – all Microsoft-owned intellectual properties.

In March 2010 Microsoft released a Perfect Dark remake on Xbox Live Arcade with updated graphics.

Kinect launch title Kinect Sports was a commercial success, and is the best-selling Kinect game by far, according to figures from UKIE/GfK Chart Track.

Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft for comment.

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About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • captain_Carl #1 1 year ago

    It just keeps getting worse for Rare.

    :(

  • PixelPirate #2 1 year ago

    motion control. Its the future right?

    This isnt good news considering all this stuff just launched, i thought they told us how awesome Kinect was doing. Or is it suffering the same problem as the Wii, hardware sales but no software to go with it?

  • arcam #3 1 year ago

    Of course there are redundancies. They are only the makers of the top-selling game on the world's fastest-selling consumer electronics product ever.

    Seriously, some of these developers must be thinking: "What the fuck do I have to do to keep a job around here?"

  • jablonski #4 1 year ago

    "the maximum number of redundancies allowed under EU employment law without the need for a full consultation process."

    Arseholes.

    At risk of redundancy = redundancy.
    Been there myself last year

  • oceanmotion #5 1 year ago

    They do hard ground work, MS cut staff, make sequels cheaper elsewhere with their work. Bastards.
    Edited by oceanmotion at 16/02/11 @ 15:25

  • Lexx87 #6 1 year ago

    Really is shame.

    Seeing that shiny Rare logo when booting up one of their games used to just get me ready for awesomeness.

  • evild_edd #7 1 year ago

    Firstly: it's always sad to hear of people losing their jobs, ragardless of how many, or how few, they may be.

    The software charts would seem to indicate that this title has sold/is selling well.

    This does sound to be (and forgive the corproate talk) 'stategic reallocation of resources' by the sounds of things, rather than any reaction to sales (as PixelPirate is querying).

    It has been commented that Rare is changing fundamentally as a company, so seems fair to assume that this is just part of those changes. Not that this helps those under threat of redundancy, of course.....

  • GiarcYekrub #8 1 year ago

    Make Blast Corps 2, Killer Instinct 3, Perfect Dark 2, Conker Bad Fur Day 2

  • Weezer #9 1 year ago

    'What next for Rare?'

    Closure?

  • Quixz #10 1 year ago

    They need to get RARE back to making really games, Kameo 2, Killer Instinct.. :(

  • Fab4 #11 1 year ago

    "You are no longer the employee."

  • Zaxlor #12 1 year ago

    How come the art department, is getting asked to re-apply to become managers?

    Rare normally has some great art direction, good character design and pretty nice UI design too. Why you'd want to make the art guys become managers, is beyond me, unless they're each becoming a head of a small art team and re-hiring more staff?

    /confused

  • evild_edd #13 1 year ago

    "Really is shame.

    Seeing that shiny Rare logo when booting up one of their games used to just get me ready for awesomeness."

    Are you saying this is the death or Rare? Perhaps the death of Rare as we've known it, but I feel that it hasn't been the same for some years now.

    To reiterate: people losing jobs is never good. But Rare had released a number of titles that hadn't sold as well as expected (Kameo, Grabbed By The Ghoulies, even Viva Pinata to a degree....). It sounds to me like they're being given a chance to survive through change, rather than trying to do the same stuff and being killed off (as our friends at Activision did with Bizare), which surely has to be the better option.

  • Murton #14 1 year ago

    "While redundancies are never easy, these organizational changes are part of Rare's ongoing strategy and operational planning which typically coincides with the shipment of a title"

    Well at least they're being honest about it I guess. If you letting people go for cynical reasons you may as tell them that's the case. Game's out, we don't need you guys around anymore so let's the wage bill down. The real crime here is that they're suggesting that people who are clearly unqualified apply for management positions to avoid redundancy, like any of them will actually score that job.

    "Reports suggest Rare intends to become a studio primarily staffed by contractors"

    It always has been. The entire QA department are supplied by contract agency Volt, who are quite frankly shocking. The horror stories I heard from ex-Rare staff employed through Volt are unbelievable, compulsory 13 hour shifts 6 days out of 7, the absolute maximum that an employer can demand without fallout foul of the law. Or are the reports suggesting that actual development roles are going to filled in on a fixed term contract basis? If so then the Rare that many here know and love is as good as dead as the studio will simply open and close based on development cycles and the talent will up and leave.

  • LetsGo #15 1 year ago

    Makes you wonder how much influence nintendo had in the old days....

  • superstu1337 #16 1 year ago

    Maybe if they did the right thing and released the Goldeneye HD remake on XBLA and made a killing, they'd have enough cash to pay them all!

  • topscore1632 #17 1 year ago

    One of the nicest things about Rare is their offices - set in the middle of the countryside in landscaped grounds, it's a really pleasant environment to be in. And easy to commute to. And now they're going to ship people off to their Custard Factory office instead, right in the grotty heart of Birmingham, amongst commuter hell. Obviously you'd do it if the alternative was losing your job, but it's a real step down.

  • evild_edd #18 1 year ago

    @superstu1337

    So many times people have said this, but the answer never changes: Nintendo owned the Goldeye rights, not rare. Never going to get released on the 360, though it's why the Wii got a remake.

  • Eldritch #19 1 year ago

    "Nintendo owned the Goldeye rights, not rare. Never going to get released on the 360, though it's why the Wii got a remake. "

    Who cares if they can make an unofficial sequel called "Conker's Goldmember"?

  • Gambit1977 #20 1 year ago

    Rare aren't what they were. The talent all left. It amazes me that a brand name can still hold such respect in the industry when all they've released post N64/sale to Microsoft has been poor to middling.

  • midnight_walker #21 1 year ago

    What depresses me most about this story is that the once mighty Rare have been reduced to "Kinect Sports dev" in this story. Forshame, EG, forshame.

  • Progguitarist #22 1 year ago

    I would have thought that with the strong sales of kinect sports, they'd be a pretty profitable outfit for microsoft.

  • darkmorgado #23 1 year ago

    @Jablonski

    At risk of redundancy = redundancy.

    Not necessarily - my other half has been "at risk of redundancy" for over a year now, with no likelihood of actual redundancy on the horizon.

  • RodHull #24 1 year ago

    So Rare release the top selling Kinect game of 2010 and the 8th best selling XBLA game of 2010. Microsoft, you've been hanging out with Activision too long.

  • nuanimal #25 1 year ago

    "While redundancies are never easy, these organizational changes are part of Rare's ongoing strategy and operational planning which typically coincides with the shipment of a title," Microsoft said in a statement issued to Edge.

    You mean they routinely plan to sack people after a games release!?

  • AceGrace #26 1 year ago

    Yes, they ramp up staff to get the game shipped, then sack them afterwards.

  • peterfll #27 1 year ago

    Rare have just turned in a well respected game for the "fastest selling consumer product ever" so I too am surprised this has happened now. :-\

  • LittleMousy #28 1 year ago

    @midnight_walker - that was my first thought too, seeing a headline about "Kinect Sports dev" - not EG's fault though, it's just a sign of the kind of tat Rare have been making.

  • jbrollse #29 1 year ago

    "So Rare release the top selling Kinect game of 2010 and the 8th best selling XBLA game of 2010. Microsoft, you've been hanging out with Activision too long. "

    Perfect Dark only sold 279,000 - not enough to keep the wolves from the door with a studio of Rare's size (43 people in an art department is pushing it for an HD port of a 10 year old shooter). While Kinect Sports did better - over a million sold I believe - it's the type of game that can be knocked out cheaply with little effort, and an arts department are surplus to requirements for it.

    Redundancies are never pleasant (just been through it at work, and it's a still-present risk). There's part of me hopes that it will shake Rare out of their complacency, and into doing decent games. It's not going to happen though, they're too far gone and have lost the spark that made them great in the past. I just wish they would change their name to something less historic - Overdone? Unambitious Port of Games?

  • FogHeart #30 1 year ago

    "We are working closely with the affected employees to support them through this transition and help them apply for other roles within Microsoft.

    Which always comes down to: are you willing to relocate to the other side of the country for a lesser job? No? Sorry then.

  • ST.. #31 1 year ago

    Sad to see Goldeneye developer RARE reduced to being 'Kinect Sports developer RARE'.....

  • makeamazing #32 1 year ago

    Probably going to get negged for this, but what the hell is MS doing these days, they close a number of studios, dont seem to want to actually make any exclusive games, and only seem to want to pay for COD maps or other timed crap. Which isnt actually good for anyone.

  • FuzzyDuck #33 1 year ago

    Granted, Rare has quite a legacy, but i think it's unfair to dismiss Kinect Sports - of all the games i've played on Kinect, i thought this was by far the best and they're obviously one of a very small handful of studios to get a decent handle on the tech from the get-go.

    I wish all the staff who will suffer hardship because of this decision the best in their future endeavors.

  • Tricky_Rich #34 1 year ago

    @makeamazing

    I've been thinking that as well! After Gears of War 3...what the hell have Microsoft got as an exclusive for us xbox owners to look forward to!

    Some people will say the Halo:CE remake and Halo 4, but apparently the former has been farmed out to Saber Interactive, who haven't exactly got a stellar reputation for FPSes and the latter is being handled by 343 Industries who are entirely unproven, as Halo 4 will be their first game!

    (I know 343 has some ex-bungie staff in there, but what percentage of the overall team do they constitute?)