A snowy day at Rare's UK headquarters2015 will be a "huge" year for UK studio Rare, which is famous for creating beloved games Goldeneye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie, but most recently known for its work on the Kinect Sports series for Xbox. That's according to veteran Rare composer Robin Beanland, who has worked at the company for 20+ years.
Beanland made the tease on Twitter, accompanying a tweet to a fan with some music notes, possibly for Rare's next game.
@Ritsu_Is_Cute This is a HUGE year for Rare...and these notes :-) pic.twitter.com/tCUuV8cyZr
— Robin Beanland (@TheRealBeano) January 6, 2015
Rare's most recent game was 2014's Kinect Sports Rivals for Xbox One, which saw a mixed critical reception upon release in April of that year.
The studio's next project is already playable, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer visited the studio in November and reported back that he was excited by what he saw.
"Got to play the new Rare game today," Spencer said on November 11. "Rare building a uniquely Rare game, as it should be. Great visit to the studio."
Spencer's comments suggest Rare's next project won't be another Kinect Sports game, but rather something new. No further details about Rare's new game have been revealed, though Microsoft has repeatedly said that it doesn't want Rare to be considered only a Kinect Sports studio.
In a possibly related move, Microsoft recently renewed its trademark for Battletoads, which suggests--but does not confirm--that the company may be at work on a revival of the long-dormant series created by Rare and released for the NES in 1991.