THQ To Publish Rare GBA Games

THQ representatives have announced that they will be distributing a number of Rare-developed GBA titles on behalf of Microsoft. The titles announced as part of the deal include: Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge, Banjo Pilot (previously Diddy Kong Pilot), It’s Mr Pants and Sabre Wulf. The only victim of Rare’s sale to Microsoft seems to be Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers, which appears to have been cancelled. It’s unlikely that this is because of any difficultly in changing the branding but more because the isometric Tetris clone had such a poor response from the press. Although no indication was given by THQ officials on how long the deal would last, the fact that It’s Mr Pants is a previously unannounced product suggests that Rare intends to continue producing games for the GBA and isn't just offloading outstanding product from their time with Nintendo.