Sure, here’s a rewritten version:
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Wow, 40 years already? Hard to believe Rare’s been around since August 4, 1985. Back then, the British scene was buzzing with creative sparks. Started from Ultimate Play the Game in ’82, Rare’s given us timeless gems like Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, thanks to their buds at Nintendo and Xbox. Oh, and don’t forget Sea of Thieves or GoldenEye 007. Such classics, right?
But let’s switch lanes for a sec. Rare hit the big four-oh and joined forces with 8BitDo — a cool idea, right? They whipped up a snazzy wireless Xbox controller, all decked out with Rare game art. Perfect timing or terrible, though? Depends on who you ask, especially with the Xbox-Rare drama that’s been boiling over recently.
So, what’s the lowdown on Xbox and Rare’s recent spats? Man, it’s been a rollercoaster. If you didn’t know, Microsoft and Xbox haven’t stopped laying people off since ’23. Stable financials? That’s what they say, but hardware sales lag behind Nintendo and PlayStation. Thousands of jobs have vanished — 10,000 in 2023 alone, then 2,550 in ’24, another 6,000 in May ’25, 300 more gone in June, and yet 9,000 just last July. Yikes.
These layoffs didn’t just zap Microsoft-wide; Xbox and its developers took a hit. Phil Spencer, the big cheese at Microsoft Gaming, claims it’s about snipping away at complexity to make things more nimble. Whatever that means.
Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, the cuts. Forza’s Turn 10 Studios trimmed 70 people, and King, the Candy Crush crew, axed 10%. Some projects didn’t even stand a chance — like ZeniMax’s codename Blackbird or Perfect Dark’s reboot. As if that weren’t bad enough, Rare’s Everwild got canned. Remember The Initiative? Started fresh in 2018 for Perfect Dark, now it’s history. Wild, right?
Speakin’ of Everwild, Rare’s pet project — it’ll always have this weird mystique. Born in ’14 but reshuffled in ’21 after director Simon Woodroffe left. Supposedly a third-person Viva Piñata? Who knows. They teased it with two trailers, and now, poof, gone. It’s like, come on, at least give us something!
Let’s ramble some more — back in Rare’s heyday with Perfect Dark on N64 in 2000, then Perfect Dark Zero for Xbox 360 in 2005. Ah, the memories. Fast forward to ’25: Everwild’s journey looked smooth in ’24, Spencer even played it in Twycross, UK. Windows Central said they nailed the gameplay loop. But wham, it got canned! Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, said it’s about refocusing for the industry’s future. Whatever that means, again.
Gregg Mayles, a Rare stalwart who joined at 18 in ’89, bowed out too. His work on Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, and more — legendary. Losing Everwild and Gregg, what a blow. Rare’s future’s so foggy now, it’s unsettling.
Amid chaos, a tiny glimmer: a plaque in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, marking Rare’s birth and legacy. Nostalgic, right? Bittersweet, all in all, but hey, that’s life.
