Rare studio manager Scott Henson insists that the once-beloved developer hasn't fallen off the map, arguing that the company has "lived up to its potential" since being bought from Nintendo by Microsoft.
Henson argues: "We didn't fall off the map. We might have changed and evolved. Our focus is different, but we haven't fallen off the map."
Fans of the developer, which is responsible for such classics as the Donkey Kong Country series, Perfect Dark and GoldenEye 007, have cited a lack of big-name exclusives and AAA as being indicative of the firm's fall from grace.
However, Henson points to recent succes as proof of Rare's worth. "Fallen off the map is interesting when you sell over three million units," he explained, referring to Kinect Sports, the Wii Sports-like exclusive for Kinect for Xbox 360.
"I like that falling off the map. It's great success in this industry," he added.
"If you look at what Rare has done, whether it was Killer Instinct in the arcade or Donkey Kong Country and pushing pre-rendered graphics, they always innovate as a studio. That has stayed the same."
How would you rate Rare's performance as a developer since coming over from Nintendo?