Rare’s 40th Anniversary Xbox Controller Sparks Potential Controversy

40 years. Can you believe it? Rare, that legendary British video game developer, kicked off on August 4, 1985. Like, it all started from Ultimate Play the Game in ’82. They cooked up classics with Nintendo and Xbox. Think Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie… Oh, and Sea of Thieves! Anyway, if you’re into limited-edition stuff, they’ve teamed up with 8BitDo for a funky wireless Xbox controller. But, why now, right? When things are a bit messy with Xbox?

Alright, let’s dive into the drama — Xbox and Rare have been through a rollercoaster lately. Probably caught up in some whirlwind of layoffs since 2023. Seems wild since Xbox says they’re up in players and gameplay. Funny how they managed to lay off thousands, right? But hey, Phil Spencer claims it’s all about “agility.” Whatever that means.

Some studios got hit hard, like, Turn 10 and King lost quite a number. And oof, games got canned! Everwild? Poof. Perfect Dark reboot? Bye-bye. Gotta feel for The Initiative. They even closed up shop after that.

Talking about Everwild, oh man, Rare hasn’t dropped anything fresh since Battletoads in 2020. They hyped Everwild with all this “magical world” talk. Am I rambling? Maybe. Anyway, development’s been bumpy since ’14, but Spencer’s all, “Looking good!” back in ’24.

Gregg Mayles leaving? That stings. He was like Rare’s soul since the late ’80s. You’re wondering, what’s next for Rare? Who knows. But hey, they got a shiny plaque in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, like a tribute to their roots. Bittersweet, isn’t it? All these changes and memories wrapped up with some uncertain future. Oh well, time will tell where Rare sails next.