Rare 40th anniversary merch is a depressing reminder of how far they’ve fallen

Attempts by Rare to celebrate its ruby anniversary double as a tragic reminder of the state of the studio under Microsoft.

Given how often game studios get shut down nowadays, it’s almost a miracle for one to successfully stay open for 40 years. Case in point: Sea Of Thieves developer Rare.

Although there’s no exact date for its founding, Rare has chosen today to celebrate its ruby anniversary, complete with an unveiling of a heritage plaque in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the English hometown of Rare’s predecessor Ultimate Play the Game.

The studio has announced a handful of ways for fans to partake in the celebrations, including a fancy new Xbox controller that’s available for purchase alongside a range of other merchandise.

The new controller, courtesy of 8bitdo, sports the same blue and gold colouring as Rare’s logo. While its pattern appears to only reference Sea Of Thieves, you can spot puzzle pieces and feathers on the controller too, alluding to the old Banjo-Kazooie platformers.

You can buy the controller from 8bitdo’s website, which does ship to the UK, although it will set you back $89.99, which is roughly £68, and that’s not including any potential shipping costs.

Rare has also partnered with Fangamer on a new range of merchandise, and the Xbox Wire news post mentions plans for a 40th anniversary vinyl collection from iam8bit and an Evercade cartridge collection of 12 retro Rare games.

Some themed cosmetics are coming to Sea Of Thieves as well, alongside the game’s next season, Smugglers’ Tide, which begins on August 14.

This includes a 40th anniversary bundle and multiple ruby themed items (including a hat and an eyepatch). Plus, starting from August 6, the in-game store will see discounts on items inspired by old Rare games while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to claim an exclusive emote.

Lastly, a celebratory piece of art featuring multiple Rare characters is available as an Xbox dynamic background alongside new profile pics for your account.

Such celebrations ring a tad hollow though, considering this comes just one month after Microsoft saw fit to let go hundreds of Xbox employees and cancel several projects.

Rare itself wasn’t untouched by this, with its next game – Everwild – amongst those cancelled. A new Banjo-Kazooie was also rumoured to be in the works, but that’s apparently been canned too.

And while he wasn’t laid off, Everwild and Sea Of Thieves director Gregg Mayles, one of Rare’s longest running staff members, opted to leave the studio at that exact moment, missing out on the 40th anniversary.

Even the new art is depressing to look at, since the majority of the characters featured haven’t had a new game in years and likely never will.

Seeing Perfect Dark protagonist Joanna Dark especially hurts since a Perfect Dark reboot was in the works at another studio, The Initiative, but that studio was completely shut down as part of the layoffs, with the reboot dying with it.

With Everwild’s cancellation, Rare doesn’t have any new games on its schedule. So, unless it or Microsoft announce otherwise, the studio is currently committed to updating Sea Of Thieves and nothing else.

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