Rare design director George Andreas says that Microsoft’s new motion sensing control technology has put the developer and its parent company on the same page for the first time.

Since Microsoft’s acquisition of Rare in 2002, the platform holder has tasked the developer with creating titles that appeal to a small section of the Xbox 360’s user base, according to Andreas, but he feels that the release of Natal will do much to grow the console’s audience and allow the studio to shine.

"I do feel in many ways that – and I’ve said this to some people as well – for me this is really the first time that Microsoft and Rare are on a very similar path," Andreas told VideoGamer. "We’ve obviously been tasked to create experiences that nobody else can create, which explains things like your Kameos and your Piñatas and your Banjos. But obviously the hardware is aimed at a different demographic, and so we’ve always battled against that.

"Whereas now with Natal, it looks like the roads are on the same path. It’s a union of the two philosophies of the different companies, I guess. Natal is supposed to reach out to a broader audience and a broader consumer, and Rare’s products are always aiming in that direction as well. So from that perspective the future looks incredibly bright for us really. It’s definitely something everyone’s enthused about and energised about."

Rare art director Steve McFarlane recently told OXM that "no one knows who we are." He added that the studio is looking forward to the extra attention it will receive following Peter Molyneux's appointment as Microsoft Game Studios Europe's creative director.  "I think over the last few years maybe the awareness of Rare has dropped. And the idea of Pete coming in and being this new face of Rare it's a great thing for us. It's really just to get us out there a bit more."