This is unusual
[Update: A representative for Rare and Xbox has responded by stating “The process is a necessary step that allows gamers to play some of our beloved titles with or without Rare Replay, that includes these titles and 21 more. This action is only to better the fans and allow more people access to the titles.”]
Backward compatibility is still a few months away for the majority of Xbox One owners, but a small percentage of Xbox Preview Program members already have access to a limited library of titles. This afternoon, they were met with a mysterious message stating changes would be made to a few games.
The message prompts them to launch the Preview Program app on the Xbox One, which sheds a bit of light — but not much — on what’s happening. Eight Rare titles (Viva Piñata, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Perfect Dark, Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo: Elements of Power, Jetpac Refuelled, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie) have to be uninstalled and re-installed to function properly. The notes indicate that the process won’t affect saves.
A little less than a month ago, we reported that all Rare backward compatible games included their downloadable content for free. At the time, Rare confirmed to us that it completely intentional and not some sort of bug that went unnoticed.
Right now, it’s unclear as to what sort of issue would only affect one developer’s games. Given the mandatory process, it seems as if Microsoft wants some content deleted. Has Xbox changed its mind about offering free DLC and is taking these steps to squash it?
We’re hoping to clear up the mystery. We’ve emailed both Microsoft and Rare to see if either is willing to comment on this development. We’ll update when (or if) either (or both) respond.
