As Rare – known for the likes of Sea of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country – gets ready to celebrate its 40th anniversary, a third-party licensed controller themed around the developer’s legacy has leaked online.
The controller itself has been built by gaming peripherals manufacturer 8BitDo, and officially licensed with Rare and Xbox. It features Hall Effect sticks, ‘Pro Back Buttons’ and has an integrated charging dock (via reddit).
The controller is compatible with Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Android and iOS, and – according to the Amazon listing, which has gone live prior to any official announcement from the studio itself – this release will mark 8BitDo’s first 2.4G wireless Xbox controller.
“A legendary collaboration for a legendary milestone,” reads the controller’s Amazon page. “Wrapped in signature blue and gold, this special edition features symbolic patterns, game-inspired silhouettes and playful Easter eggs – a tribute to the legacy Rare brought to life.”
Those aforementioned silhouettes include bananas (a nod to Donkey Kong), feathers ( Banjo-Kazooie), tentacles (Sea of Thieves) and more. You can see how it looks via the images below.
Amazon’s sales page has the controller listed for $89.99, and at the time of writing it appears it will be only available across the pond in the US. Eurogamer has asked Microsoft for comment.
This controller leaked on the same day Rare itself shared an anniversary post on social media, celebrating 40 years in the business.
“From devoted Rare gamers to single-series stalwarts, we want to show our appreciation for anyone who’s visited even just one of our worlds,” it wrote, with an accompanying piece of art showing characters from Rare’s game all gathered together in a theatre (see below).
“For keeping an assorted ragtag of creatives working magic in the Midlands, only two words will do: THANK YOU.”
Of course, it has not been an easy time for Rare recently. Just last month, the studio’s fantasy adventure Everwild was cancelled following layoffs at Xbox. Everwild was first revealed in late 2019. At this time, the game was said to be the next “large” project from Rare, and one that would co-exist with the ongoing development of Sea of Thieves.
Soon after Everwild’s cancellation, it was revealed Rare’s most seasoned creator Gregg Mayles – known for directing the likes of Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves, as well as his work on Donkey Kong 64 and many more games – had left the studio after more than 35 years.