Stamper brothers

They first worked together on arcade conversion kits, which were licensed to companies, but later became developers for the ZX Spectrum home computer in the early 1980s.

After reverse engineering the Nintendo Entertainment System and deciding to shift their focus to console development, the brothers founded Rare in the mid-1980s.

Over the next two decades, Rare enjoyed a close relationship with Nintendo and developed multiple major titles for the company, including Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007.

[1] While at university, he built a kit computer with an 8-bit processor and taught himself how to program by creating traffic light signalling software.

[3] In 1982, the brothers started Ashby Computers and Graphics in the Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch with Lathbury and Tim's girlfriend, Carole Ward,[3][4] whom he later married in 1985.

[6] They worked out of a four-room terraced house next door to the brothers' family corner shop[2] and ran on a shoestring budget for its first six months, in which they pooled their money to pay the bills.

Their brand benefitted from this mystique of secrecy,[4] but their reclusiveness was the subject of derision from other UK developers who otherwise greatly respected their work.

[17] After reverse engineering the hardware,[18] Chris Stamper's proficiency led him to develop a handheld NES console prototype prior to the release of Nintendo's portable Game Boy.

[21] Chris later reflected that his British peers did not grasp the larger, international video game market, despite having what he considered to be the best talent.

Excited about this work, Nintendo purchased a quarter stake in Rare, which eventually expanded to 49%, and offered their cast of characters to the company.

Internally at Rare, the Stamper brothers were demanding bosses[24] who continued to work 15-hour days after transitioning into management roles.

Tim, the managing director, continued to work on graphics for the company, including backgrounds in Donkey Kong Country.

Despite decent reviews, Rare's subsequent games did not appear to meet the high standards of their predecessors, and poor sales led to another staff exodus.

[31][32] FortuneFish released Kroko Bongo, a rhythm-based platform game, in 2017, whose art and music recalled Rare's signature Donkey Kong Country-era style.

[31] Tim Stamper broke with his reputation for secrecy around the same time by posting publicly on Twitter about Rare's canceled Project Dream.