Will Rare Develop for DS?

Following reports from our sister site, Gamecube Advanced, Microsoft is intimating that former Nintendo-exclusive developer Rare (now owned by Microsoft) is not, in fact, developing titles for Nintendo DS. A statement released by Microsoft explained that they are “focusing all efforts on developing games for the Windows and Xbox platforms,” and that “at this time, there are no plans to support the DS.”

While the statement seems to dismiss previous reports of Rare’s DS development, it should be noted that Rare has developed games for Game Boy Advance since being purchased by Microsoft. The games, including Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge and the recently released Sabre Wulf have been published by third-party publisher THQ.

Microsoft’s statement may simply be an expression their unwillingness to publish titles for Nintendo’s new platform rather than a denial of Rare’s development for the platform. Not only does this seem plausible because THQ has published all GBA projects since Rare was purchased by Microsoft, but also because It’s Mr. Pants, the title most prominently tied to the Rare/DS Development story, is listed at Rare’s website as forthcoming on Gameboy Advance. Perhaps the game will be tweaked to make it a DS game; after all, the fact that Rare does have DS development kits only serves to further complicate the situation.

We’ll have more on this story as the situation becomes more clear.