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Update []:
Following on from a teasing post earlier this week, Rare and Ultimate Play the Game co-founder Tim Stamper has returned to social media with a new post insinuating he is ready to open the vault on his storied career and share "documents and relics" that have been gathered, built, stored, or buried over the past four decades.
"It's finally time to let go of my reputation for secrecy..." said the developer, whose glowing resume begins with an array of ZX Spectrum classics before shifting into SNES and N64 territorys, helming iconic releases such as Donkey Kong Country (1994), Killer Instinct (1994), Banjo-Kazooie (1998), and GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The announcement marks a definitive switch-up in Stamper's behaviour, given that the developer has remained mostly reclusive and eschewed public and media attention, particularly in recent years.
Understandably, the teasing announcement has been greeted with fervour by Rare fans, who are eager for Stamper to open up the potential "treasure chest" of concept games, unfinished projects, abandoned ideas, design documents, or whatever it may be that Tim and his brother, Chris, have been collating over their storied careers.
All well and good, but I still don't see any news of Atic Atac II...
Original Story []: Tim Stamper, legendary UK developer and co-founder of iconic studios Rare and Ultimate Play The Game, has surprised gaming fans by making an unlikely appearance on social media, offering what appears to be a cryptic tease for a potential future project.
Stamper, appearing on X and Instagram for the first time in over three years, posted a short message which appeared to suggest that he is getting restless over some form of mystery project, teasing the opening of a "vault". The message was accompanied by an image of keys, all adorned with Stamper's trademark Googly Eyes.
Naturally, commenters on social media have been somewhat shocked by Stamper's sudden resurfacing, with fans offering surprise and praise for the veteran developer who, alongside his brother, Chris, crafted classic '80s titles such as Jetpac (1983), Atic Atac (1983) and Sabre Wulf (1984).
Founding Rare in 1985, the studio would cement its status in the 1990s, with SNES releases Donkey Kong Country (1994) and Killer Instinct (1994), before spearheading the Nintendo 64 with some of its best titles, including Banjo-Kazooie (1998), Diddy Kong Racing (1997), Perfect Dark (2000), and, of course, the legendary GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The suggestion of opening a "vault" of some sort seems to imply that whatever Stamper is considering, it involves his previous (or perhaps incomplete) work. For now, we'll simply have to wait and see what, (if anything), comes of this rare (pun fully intended) appearance from one of Britain's most notable industry figures.
Atic Atac II. It's time, Tim.