Rare graphics director joins Playtonic

Another Rare veteran has joined Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games.

Kevin Bayliss was graphics director at Rare, as well as one of the first employees at the Conker and GoldenEye studio. He left in 2005.

He led the visual creation of many of Rare’s notable characters, including those in Battletoads, Killer Instinct, Diddy Kong Racing and Star Fox Adventures.

Bayliss also collaborated with fabled Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto to create the modern appearance of arcade classic Donkey Kong for N64 title Donkey Kong Country.

He joins fellow Donkey Kong Country artists Steve Mayles, Steven Hurst and Mark Stevenson at Playtonic, which is currently working on Kickstarted platformer Yooka-Laylee.

Bayliss has already contributed some characters and sketches for the game on a freelance basis, but will now work full-time at the studio.

“In the future I’d love to rekindle some of the ideas I’ve had since leaving Rare, and help bring to life some of those even bigger, bolder character concepts that have been brewing in my head,” he said in an announcement post.

“I’ve so many ideas, old and new, so it’s going to be great fun filling that little logo-flask with more stars.

“In short, it’s like old times, but new.”

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