Chronicle of a Buyout Foretold

Today, the months of unconfirmed rumours, non-shown games and lots of talks in general that were spread about Rare during the year 2002, have been forgotten. However, some myths are still alive (some of them contradictory) fed by the little information that surrounded that event; and, because of that, many wrong points were given as truth.

The rumours that were on the media before the purchase were so intense that, when it was finally announced there were no explanations: it was something that was already assumed. Microsoft bought Rare and that was it. In the interviews from the event this was the pattern, they talked about the purchase but not about how they reached the agreement.

It all began in...