In a bit of troubling news, Rare (Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Viva Pinata) have announced ‘restructuring’ plans that could result in staff layoffs at the legendary developer. In a press announcement, Rare studio manager Mark Betteridge said:

“As the entire industry struggles to address the increasing scale and cost of development, we too have felt a need to restructure our current approach so we can speed development and better manage the scale required to create high quality games. With four projects recently underway, now is the right time to make this change.”

Betteridge then went on to outline the proposed goals for the restructuring, including better support to extend the appeal of Xbox LIVE, expanding the Xbox 360 customer base, as well as continuing to create triple-A gaming experiences. Betteridge continues:

“In order to achieve these goals, the company is reviewing the current composition of its development teams and there is the possibility that a small number of current positions could be lost as a result of these changes.”

“Throughout its history, Rare has demonstrated a willingness to embrace new approaches and commitment to delivering game-changing experiences to our customers. This announcement is no different and builds on that tradition as we work with MGS to make interactive entertainment as culturally relevant in people’s lives as books, movies and television are today.”

Rare was founded in 1982 as Ashby Computers and Graphics Ltd. by the brothers Stamper, Tim and Chris. Before selling the title to US Gold in 1985, their games were published under the name Ultimate Play the Game, releasing titles on the ZX-Spectrum, the Commodore 64 and the BBC Micro. 1995 saw the company, Rare, sign an exclusive publishing deal with Nintendo, and in 2002 Rare was acquired by Microsoft.