Rare has suffered many a setback according to Eurogamer. The studio’s latest Kinect-based project for the Xbox One, Kinect Sports Rivals, failed at the sales counter and has led to numerous layoffs with 16 design and project managers apparently getting the boot.
A spokesperson of Microsoft stated that, “At Xbox, our goal is to constantly create new fun, social and interactive entertainment experiences. As part of Rare’s commitment to this goal, we have made a decision to change our development process and methodology at Rare to best support our future projects, this has led to us reviewing the skills and the makeup of our development teams in our business. Rare continues to invest in our people and future projects.”
Though it confirmed the layoffs, Microsoft failed to mention exactly how many people were let go (sources indicate around 16 employees) and sales of Kinect Sports Rivals seems to be the cause. It also seems to have incurred significant loss for Rare in general.
Rare doesn’t seem to be collapsing (yet), but there’s no denying that its focus on Kinect games will lead to further criticism. Stay tuned for more information.
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