Craig Duncan: A Rare Talent

OXM sits down with rare’s studio head to find out more about the person steering the ship

- Adam Bryant

Visiting Rare is always a treat. the staff’s passion for games is not only plain to see but also infectious. We arrive at the studio just after the launch of Sea of thieves’ anniversary Update, in the midst of celebration. as a reward for all their hard work, the teams are taking some time off from development to join in on a week-long ‘creative jam’. everyone is given the freedom to create whatever they want. there are art lessons, people coming up with ideas for future content and groups dressed as pirates running around the corridors acting out scenes – pretty much everywhere you look there are smiles and people being creative. but this isn’t just a one-off occurrence, this fun and creative attitude permeate everything Rare does in developing its games. this is largely because of Rare’s leader, Craig Duncan, and we catch up with the veteran developer to find out what it’s like to run one of the most respected and creative game studios in the world.

You had a fairly unorthodox entry into the world of game development, didn’t you?