Before Microsoft inked a deal to acquire Banjo-Kazooie and Yooka-Laylee developer Rare, it’s been revealed that Activision was jostling for a place in the 2002 bidding war.
Word comes by way of IGN, where Xbox Co-Creator Ed Fries revealed that Microsoft’s initial bid for the former Nintendo sparked competition, and it wasn’t until the eleventh hour that the platform-holder was able to fend off competition and complete the acquisition.
“We put in a bid and then Activision outbid us, and it looked like we were going to lose the deal,” Fries told IGN. “And then at the very last minute, Robbie increased our bid and we won the deal. And that was it. Who knows what could have happened with Rare.”
Across its tenure under Microsoft, Rare has crafted two Xbox 360 launch titles in the form of Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero, not to mention overseeing the creation of the Xbox Live avatars.
Had Activision acquired the developer more than a decade ago, what would you have liked to see from said collaboration?
[Source: IGN]
