Rare Abandons Gold Logo With Rebrand

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in the games industry this summer, British developer Rare, Ltd. is replacing its gold logo with a new design that is designed to look both "modern and classic". The company, famous for developing successful franchises like Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, says the upcoming anniversary presented it with an opportunity to introduce a "distinctive new look". Rare's new logo, which keeps keeping the stylized "R" from the old design visible, offers four different versions with varying colors and shapes. The developer plans to feature its new logo and branding in an upcoming relaunch of its company site. The developer last altered its logo and shortened its former Rareware name in 2003, after Microsoft purchased a 100 percent stake in the company from Nintendo and founders Tim and Chris Stamper. "Both Rare and the games industry have seen massive changes over the past 25 years, and right now it feels as if both we and the industry are continuing to evolve at an ever-increasing pace," says Rare's studio head Mark Betteridge. He continues, "With this landmark anniversary coming up, and knowing that we have a really exciting future ahead, we felt now was the time to have a new image more in keeping with an innovative and creative entertainment company which aspires to be around for at least the next 25 years!"