MundoRare Closes, Points To Negative Impressions Of Kinect Sports

Before this whole "blog" thing started up gamers had to really dig deep to find the news they were looking for. Luckily there were bunches of dedicated people that made fan sites for the game series, developer, or publisher that they loved the most. Since then many of them have shut down, but few have shut down in the stunningly sad way the MundoRare has. For nearly ten years, MundoRare was the place to find the best information on Rare, a company that found itself at the center of some notorious rumors since the 16-bit era. But all that changed in the site's presumably final post this past weekend. To say that there's a lot to dissect from this post is an understatement. The team behind MundoRare sites a handful of factors that forced them to close down and while many of them are perfectly reasonable, others shed some light into the unfortunate realities of the gaming industry.

It appears that all this started when the site was planning on producing an extensive documentary on the famed developer which would have been distributed through Xbox LIVE and other online portals. With nine years of experience covering the company and graduate experience in filmmaking and journalism, one would guess that this team would be the best group for the job, but Rare's PR team officially denied permission to shoot because the film wasn't "on message."

Now why would a team of highly dedicated and respected members of the Rare fan community with years of experience behind them be denied access to Rare? While many other media outlets have had less than favorable things to say about Rare's output post-Nintendo, MundoRare claims that they've "never criticized Rare without a good reason" and that while discussions around the documentary were already deteriorating, their negative write-up of Kinect Sports was the final nail in the coffin.

If what MundoRare is saying is true, it is my not so humble opinion as a fan, blogger, and developer that any company that treats it's most loyal and vocal supporters in a manner such as this doesn't deserve the publicity and sales that they bring to their company. While Rare (or Microsoft) might not think that they're losing much with a band of fans closing down a website, it sets a horrible precedence for others to follow, that one instance of not towing the company line can destroy a successful community relationship. They might not be as big some of the other guys, but these are the people that will support you through thick and thin. I'm sorry, but anyone that suffered through Perfect Dark Zero and still supports Rare deserves better than that. It's sad to see MundoRare go. They are the last of their kind. Visit their site to read the whole final farewell for yourself.

[MundoRare Closes] MundoRare