The current logo of Rare as of 2015.
Rare, originally known as Ultimate Play the Game, and known as Rareware during 1994 to 2003, is a British video game developer currently owned by Microsoft. They have created and developed various franchises such as Viva Piñata, Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, Perfect Dark, Sea of Thieves, and Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
Initally, they produced games for arcade and Nintendo platforms. They were well known for making games such as Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, and Perfect Dark. After being acquired by Microsoft in 2002, they transitioned into making games for the Xbox platform, but would still develop games for Nintendo portable consoles, as Microsoft did not and currently does not have a portable gaming system. Games such as Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, and Banjo-Pilot were developed for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance system, and later the Nintendo DS. These games were copyrighted by Microsoft and published by THQ, presumably because Microsoft did not want to publish games for competing companies.