Greg Mayles, the director of Banjo-Kazooie and a long-time developer at Rare, has left the studio after 36 years, amid the cancellation of the game Everwild and recent layoffs at Microsoft. His departure marks a significant change for Rare, which has struggled to replicate its N64 success, with Sea of Thieves being its latest hit. The studio's future projects remain uncertain following the exit of key staff.
Screenshots of Rare's cancelled game Everwild, showing UI and gameplay elements, have emerged via an artist's portfolio, providing the first glimpse of the game's visuals and potential mechanics before its cancellation earlier this year following layoffs at Microsoft.
Leaked screenshots reveal gameplay and UI elements of Everwild, a game canceled by Microsoft and Rare after over five years of development, providing a rare glimpse into the project that was intended to be a survival game with unique visual design, before its cancellation earlier this year.
A collection of development screenshots and UI details for Rare's canceled game Everwild has surfaced, revealing game features like inventory tabs and in-game elements, despite the game's long troubled development and eventual cancellation. The images suggest a rich game world with collectible creatures and plant systems, and hint at potential future projects for Rare, including revivals of classic franchises.
Louise O’Connor, a veteran at Rare and involved in the cancelled Everwild project, has been appointed Chief of Staff at Xbox Game Studios, following the project's cancellation and company layoffs, including notable departures like Gregg Mayles. Despite the setback, Rare continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with special events.
Rare will host its first community direct for Sea of Thieves to discuss upcoming content and features, amid recent layoffs at Microsoft that led to the cancellation of the game Everwild and the departure of key developers, including Gregg Mayles and Louise O’Connor, as part of broader organizational changes at Microsoft.
Gregg Mayles, a key designer at Rare known for titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves, is leaving the company after over 35 years, coinciding with the cancellation of the game Everwild and significant layoffs at Microsoft, marking a major shift for the historic studio.
Microsoft is laying off 9,000 employees across its divisions, including significant cuts in Xbox game development, leading to cancellations like Everwild and The Initiative's Perfect Dark revival, as part of a strategic shift to focus on core growth areas despite record gaming engagement.
Microsoft is canceling its Perfect Dark and Everwild games and closing The Initiative studio as part of broader layoffs affecting around 9,000 employees across its Xbox division, aiming to reallocate resources and focus on other projects and franchises.
Microsoft has canceled the development of 'Perfect Dark' and 'Everwild,' closing The Initiative studio, as part of a broader restructuring following over 9,000 layoffs across the company. Despite these cancellations, Xbox still has more than 40 active projects, and ongoing titles from the recent showcase are unaffected.
The article humorously expresses disappointment over the absence of several anticipated Xbox and PC games at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, including Everwild, Fable, REPLACED, Forza Horizon 6, and State of Decay 3, highlighting the author's enthusiasm and expectations for these titles.
Blizzard's new unannounced survival game is reportedly called "Odyssey" and is set to be a multiplatform release. The game features survival game mechanics and looks similar to Rare's Everwild. It is based in a fairy tale setting, with base building as well as mercantile mechanics. The game is played from the first-person perspective, and the main character carries a bow and arrow. The machines appeared to be working under the influence of alchemy.
