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Ex-Rare staff want to make 'spiritual successor' to Banjo-Tooie
Rare rests comfortably within Microsoft, cranking out Avatar items and Kinect Sports games. Some who have left the British development studio have taken to Twitter under the moniker Mingy Jongo, and it's these folks who yearn to get back to the studio's roots: they want to get to work on a spiritual successor to Banjo-Tooie, the direct sequel to Banjo-Kazooie – a pair of 3D platformers published by Nintendo back in the N64 days.The account sent out missives declaring this potential game would be a 3D platformer (natch) and that while this would be a "spiritual successor" to Rare's iconic series, Mingy Jongo says the goal "wouldn't be to try and recreate Banjo" but rather to create "something new." Microsoft owns the rights to the particular bear and backpack-bird in question, you see.Kickstarter also came up as a means to fund this potential new game, and Mingy Jongo even suggested the Unity engine might be a good fit for maintaining the same "level of detail and googly eyes close to the original." But right now, all of this stuff is hypothetical ... until we see that Kickstarter page go live, anyway.
Phil Harrison heads to Microsoft as vice prez of Interactive Entertainment Business arm
We've officially turned on the theme song to Welcome Back, Kotter and started growing a lustrous mustache in honor of Phil Harrison's return to Game Industry Executiveland. This morning, reports from Europe indicated that Harrison would head to Microsoft -- Microsoft clarified the news later, which named him corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business "with an emphasis on growing the division's European business."Microsoft corporate vice president of Studios Phil Spencer welcomed Harrison in a press release. "We are honored to have Phil join a team that boasts a wealth of talent from across the industry," Spencer said. Harrison is charged with "overseeing UK-based developers Lionhead Studios, Soho Productions and Rare Ltd.," a role he'll likely warm to quickly given past work as head of worldwide studios for Sony Computer Entertainment.Harrison's most recent employer is game industry venture capital firm London Venture Partners, where he served as general partner. He continues on as "special advisor." Harrison will not be replacing former Microsoft Studios Europe head Peter Molyneux (who recently left Microsoft), though he will be overseeing Lionhead. Molyneux's role at Lionhead as studio manager is currently occupied by COO Mark Webley, according to Microsoft.Update: Microsoft announced Harrison's appointment this morning to corporate vice president of Microsoft's "Interactive Entertainment Business" arm, with a focus on European markets. See the full presser just below the jump.[Image credit: Flickr user 'jontintinjordan']
