Why Kinect Sports is Rare's priority

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 22 July, 2011

And first-person shooters aren't.

Rare boss Scott Henson has explained why the Microsoft-owned UK developer is squarely focused on the Kinect Sports franchise and not hardcore genres such as first-person shooters.

Speaking to Eurogamer in an interview at the Develop conference in Brighton this week, Henson described some of the genres often linked to the Microsoft-owned UK developer as "limiting".

"It's interesting when people ask questions like, well, will you do this kind of game or that kind of game?" he said.

"Some of those things I find limiting in terms of what the experience is. If you go talk to just an average person about what we've done with Kinect Sports, honestly, it's magic to them.

"They cannot get their head around the idea they're moving and then there's an avatar on the screen doing the exact same thing. Just that simple thing. And then turn it into a sport and a whole bunch of activities with skill ranges and refined movement and big movements, it's an incredible thing.

"Hopefully people get as excited about that as we do. We know there are millions of customers out there that are getting excited about it."

Kinect Sports has sold over three million copies since its launch alongside Kinect in November last year. A sequel, Kinect Sports: Season Two, is due out later this year.

But despite the success of Kinect and Kinect Sports, Rare is often asked when it will dip into its rich back catalogue of games.

"When I get questions like that, hopefully people get the sense that what really excites me is what we're doing now and how we're driving and leading innovation," Henson countered.

Henson also said the sheer popularity of sports, and in particular football, validates Rare's decision.

"[Sports] has got to be one of the most accessible and evergreen categories in entertainment. You could make the definitive statement it's the most accessible category in entertainment.

"If you think about the number of people that engage in sports, it's the majority of the planet.

"The Premier League has two billion people who in some way, shape or form tune in. So then you have two billion people who have a general notion of what football is. That's a pretty cool basis to start an experience on.

"That fuels and motivates us as well."

In March this year images of the cancelled game that began as Perfect Dark 2 emerged.

Perfect Dark Core was to feature a more moody Joanna Dark than the one depicted in Perfect Dark and Perfect Dark Zero.

Before it was cancelled in 2009, the player controlled a male character. The game was still an action first-person shooter, but had mechs.

Xbox 360 game Perfect Dark Zero launched in 2005 to a 7/10 Eurogamer review. The original was remade for Xbox Live Arcade last year.

Henson told us he doesn't get sick of being asked when Rare will once again make a hardcore game.

"No, I don't get sick of it at all. One of the great things about Rare is it's got this great heritage and history people have passion around. I grew up on Rare games.

"I don't get sick of it. I would like for people to really understand our future is bolstered by the history we have, but we're buoyed by the innovation that's ahead of us."

Asked whether Rare may create a FPS with Kinect elements, perhaps for a Perfect Dark sequel, Henson said, from a technical point of view, "there is no reason why it can't be done".

"I've seen plenty of experiences that it can be done."

But, "For Rare's part, there is a huge opportunity for the studio and for experiences and for the audience for us to continue to raise the bar with sports.

"That's where our focus is, and that's what we're going to continue to push on. There is a massive opportunity there, not just for Season Two, but even further, for us to continue to push the boundaries around that."

Picture of Wesley.

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 (49) Latest comment 10 months ago

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

  • Eraysor #1 10 months ago

    Please stop posting this PR drivel, it's eroding my soul

  • Haerger #2 10 months ago

    Shame. Rare used to be amazing.

  • sonicyoda #3 10 months ago

    Basically, "it makes us more money."

  • M4RV #4 10 months ago

    If you go talk to just an average person about what we've done with Kinect Sports, honestly, it's magic to them.

    ^ ^ ^ ^

    Unless said someone spent the last five years hibernating or whatever, I would most likely believe you. If not, I call what you just said BS.

    Now, would you kindly go back to Perfect Dark please...?! And preferably, try not to screw it up.

  • StolenGlory #5 10 months ago

    "Rare boss Scott Henson has explained why the Microsoft-owned UK developer is squarely focused on the Kinect Sports franchise and not hardcore genres such as first-person shooters."

    They are squarely focused on Kinect-fodder like Kinect Sports because they are simply incapable of creating decent first person shooters ever since the decent half of their team flew the nest and became Free Radical.



  • berelain #6 10 months ago

    Sonicyoda, I couldn't have put it better.

  • Darth_Flibble #7 10 months ago

    "Why Kinect Sports is Rare's priority."

    is the answer: they are broken shell of a company and their soul is dead?

  • captain_Carl #8 10 months ago

    "Hahahaha we don't give a fuck what you want anymore"

  • iriihutoR48 #9 10 months ago

    Unnecessary article. The word "money" would have been sufficient under that heading.

  • AcidSnake #10 10 months ago

    What?

    Really, you're driving and leading innovation by copying Wii Sports?
    The people who think it's magic they're moving on screen have the same reaction with other Kinect games, it's not that in Sports they say "How do they do that?" and Dance Central "That's lame"...

    Also, citation needed for that whole 2 billion Premier League thing...You're telling me 1 out of every 3 people on the planet watch the Premier League?

    I loved the Rare output on the SNES and N64 and even Viva Pinata, but they've lost credibility these days and these blatant PR interviews are just making them seem ignorant, smug and riding the coattails of the former employees/founders...

  • killuminati2911 #11 10 months ago

    It's their priority because they get payed for doing that. The are a Microsoft owned Studio so the y tell them to jump, they respond how high!
    And please at least crop out such stupid comments like " I have people that cannot understand how is it possible to move and see their avator doing the same..oh god unbelivable!"
    You'd think that a game developer should get along with people with a limited at least notions of whata camera is, am I right? Or maybe he cares just for the comments of grandpa/grandma he knows...

  • TechnicPuppet #12 10 months ago

    Kinect Sports is a great game. Looking forward to season 2.

  • HL706 #13 10 months ago

    Why buy one of the most talented, diverse and innovative software developers in the world and set them to work on shovelware pap?

    Microsoft should ashamed of themselves.

    EDIT: Spelling fail.
    Edited by HL706 at 22/07/11 @ 16:01

  • carrotcake #14 10 months ago

    They were one of the most creative outfits in the industry. Anyone can make a Kinect Sports, it is a waste of talent.

  • Subdominator #15 10 months ago

    "The Premier League has two billion people who in some way, shape or form tune in. So then you have two billion people who have a general notion of what football is. That's a pretty cool basis to start an experience on"

    Buahaha. Please, someone tell him the difference between views per year and unique viewers per year, it's embarassing,

  • evarofzentral #16 10 months ago

    "The Premier League has two billion people who in some way, shape or form tune in. So then you have two billion people who have a general notion of what football is. That's a pretty cool basis to start an experience on." Yeah, and they'll play Fifa or PES, not Kinect sports.

  • Lexx87 #17 10 months ago

    A new Killer Instinct is really off the cards isn't it :(

  • -cerberus- #18 10 months ago

    Two very different forms of shovelware!

  • AceGrace #19 10 months ago

    Talk about avoiding answering a question.

    Rare's back catalog is dead.

  • Widge #20 10 months ago

    A new Killer Instinct or Perfect Dark would most likely bomb if merely updated. The shooter and fighting market has already got loads of big players in it. Rare would be best positioned doing some sort of new IP if that was the route they wanted to go down. The canned Perfect Dark sounds like the right decision. Another. Standard. FPS.

  • AdamAsunder #21 10 months ago

    Video games article aimed at people who don't read game websites or something just to compound our cynicism.

    Fucking A.

  • kitsuneyo #22 10 months ago

    "Why Kinect Sports is Rare's priority"

    Is it because they're Microsoft's bitch?

  • metalangel #23 10 months ago

    "We can churn out any old shit now and complete morons will buy it. Spending £250 to kick a pretend football when you could just buy a real ball for a few quid and go into your back yard or the park? Only a moron would take the first option. And Avatars! Sheer genius! Three years on and they still don't do anything useful in 99% of games. Yet those same morons will pay ACTUAL MONEY for a pretend hoodie with a corporate logo on it for their pretend character to wear! More than the price of that real football for a 15 second animation of their character pretending to play with a pretend puppy! Never in my wildest dreams did I think shit like this would ever sell!"

  • RodHull #24 10 months ago

    Couldn't give a tuppeny fuck as to what excites you Mr Scott. Most of us sane gamers want Rare to make the kind of games that made Rare great. More Banjo, less American football shit.

  • Pacmaninov #25 10 months ago

    Rarely worth reading

  • FogHeart #26 10 months ago

    "The canned Perfect Dark sounds like the right decision. Another. Standard. FPS."

    But they were gonna make it dark and moody! How often do you see dark and moody games, eh? Never, I tell you!

  • orangpelupa #27 10 months ago

    Kinect sports is a good and fun game, play alone or with friends. But i dont understand the magical thingy he mentioned in the interview.
    maybe because i kind of "tech" person.

    but for my "normal" friends that play kinect on my bedroom, they smile and laughs. And keep doing stupid things.
    basically like a kid or child with new toy. (its fun to play kinect, but watching friends playing kinect is funny too haha)

    maybe thats the "magic" they mean? O_o

  • Daeltaja #28 10 months ago

    New Killer Instinct, please!

  • rudedudejude #29 10 months ago

    Those answers were bloody awful. This person has no passion whatsoever, they're just robotic.

    All i get from this is "Yeh we're making causal games for the sheep masses because that's all I am being told to do".

    Wow we made a bowling game, fuck me the innovation is immense. I bet you needed the whole ideas team to get that off the ground.

  • chris_ace #30 10 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • layleeloo #31 10 months ago

    Because some of us are as bored shitless of FPS crap than some people are of Kinect PR

  • RodHull #32 10 months ago

    "Nobody who worked on Goldeneye, Perfect Dark or Banjo Kazooie is still employed by Rare these days."

    Not entirely true. The leads on GoldenEye may have scarpered, but the Perfect Dark and Banjo teams are largely intact. Which makes this passionless suit's comments all the more saddening.

  • jon1138 #33 10 months ago

    "Nobody who worked on Goldeneye, Perfect Dark or Banjo Kazooie is still employed by Rare these days.

    They're a completely different company now.

    A pretty mediocre one "


    Wrong !! The Banjo team is still here...And Kameo/Viva Pinata /Banjo NB are excellent games...

  • GiarcYekrub #34 10 months ago

    make blast corps 2

  • GiarcYekrub #35 10 months ago

    bring back conker

  • pr0ev0lution #36 10 months ago

    ahhhh how the mighty have fallen. scary to think back in the day rare were regarded as one of the best, if not the best, games developers in the world.... then (as much as i love my 360) microsoft came along.

    how i miss the days of jet force gemini, blast corps, killer instinct, diddy kong racing, conker.... such a shame

  • PaulieWaulie #37 10 months ago

    Post deleted at 14:23:40 06-01-2012

  • Triggerhappytel #38 10 months ago

    "When I get questions like that, hopefully people get the sense that what really excites me is what we're doing now and how we're driving and leading innovation,"

    You mean innovating by copying Nintendo?!

  • RevanNL #39 10 months ago

    Yes, being told to copy Wii Sports isn't limiting at all

  • RedSparrows #40 10 months ago

    I love viva pinata and nuts and bolts!

  • Retro_ #41 10 months ago

    Let's be honest, RARE stopped being RARE the second they got into bed with MS so for that very reason, your fired.

  • 5lectro #42 10 months ago

    I liked Rare in the '90s when I was too stupid to see that they were, with few exceptions, just copy/pasting Nintendo successes. Arguably, it was Nintendo who wanted them to do that.

    Rare were good at taking orders from publishing execs. Unfortunately, it turns out Microsoft's order to produce kid games didn't work, and they're back at copying Nintendo once again.

  • alcides #43 10 months ago

    they're doing a me-too casual sports game because they're told to.

  • trugs26 #44 10 months ago

    Rare was awesome, and it was because they made a variety of high quality games. They didn't simply make an awesome platformer game, and continue to make platformers. They moved around from 2D platformers, 3D platformers, fighting games, FPSers, Third Person Shooters, racing games, etc. - all of which were high quality games.

    Pretty much, when they were with Nintendo, they were like Nintendo.

  • Sid-Nice #45 10 months ago

    Make me Jet Force Gemini 2 and all will be forgiven.

  • Ryze #46 10 months ago

    So... do you fancy selling Killer Instinct off to someone who will make us a sequel, please?

    Fools.

  • Syrette #47 10 months ago

    @EddieMink

    "Nobody who worked on Goldeneye, Perfect Dark or Banjo Kazooie is still employed by Rare these days.

    They're a completely different company now.

    A pretty mediocre one"

    Unless you actually know this for sure, don't talk nonsense.



    @StolenGlory

    "they are simply incapable of creating decent first person shooters ever since the decent half of their team flew the nest and became Free Radical."

    That's an unfair statement to tell the truth, as they've only had the one attempt (Perfect Dark Zero). Did better critically than Haze did too, didn't it?

  • Lemming81 #48 10 months ago

    @foreverafternothing

    Is Haze really the benchmark you're setting here? Struth.

  • shadowdogg #49 10 months ago

    They were killed off when they were sold off to MS