Rare says it "makes sense" to allow publishers to use its characters

Rare has said that to keep its characters in the public eye, it's considering allowing more publishers to use its creations in third-party games.

Due to the inclusion of Banjo and Kazooie in Sega's All Stars Racing, Rare studio head Mark Betteridge told CVG that the idea "makes sense" to the firm.

"It makes sense to keep our characters in the public eye and in players' awareness, and this opportunity was one we couldn't pass up," said Betteridge. "Not only did it allow Banjo and Kazooie to appear as they've most recently been seen in a Nuts & Bolts-style vehicle, but we'd be entrusting them to a well-known publisher with its own compatible stable of characters".

Adding that Rare will allow such usage in the future "as long as it's beneficial to the franchise", Betteridge says the firm remains wary of "spreading its properties too thin".

"We're wary of spreading any of our properties too thin, but at the same time the feedback on Banjo appearing in All-Stars Racing has been great, so as long as we choose carefully we're happy to give players extra opportunities to take control of Rare characters."

SEGA's All-Stars Racing is slated for the first half of the year on PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, and another Rare property that's slated to be released this year is the XBLA version of Perfect Dark.

Yesterday, it was rumored that the title was "pretty mush finished" and that it would be released on the service by the end of February - which forced Rare to claim the piece as shenanigans on Twitter.