Rare has been making headlines for less than positive reasons recently, but the company remains one of the most important and influential in the history of British game development thanks to a string of hits that goes all the way back to the 1980s.
Rare actually began life as Ashby Computers & Graphics in 1982, which would morph into Ultimate Play The Game. Based out of a small building in the sleepy market town of Ashby de la Zouch, Ultimate was founded by Tim and Chris Stamper, who would eventually sell the brand to US Gold and shift focus from home computers to consoles under the name Rare.
While Rare's current HQ is based in nearby Twycross, the original building in Ashby remains an important part of its history – and that has now been officially recognised by Ashby de la Zouch Town Council, which has fixed a blue plaque at the location.
Rare would move from Ashby to Twycross in 1988, settling first at Manor Farm, where it would develop the likes of Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye and Banjo-Kazooie. It then moved to a new purpose-built HQ just down the road, where it remains to this day.