Rare's Gregg Mayles Exits After Everwild Axed

Veteran Rare designer and director Gregg Mayles is reportedly leaving the studio following yesterday’s sweeping cuts to Xbox staff and projects, which included the long-in-development title Everwild.

As reported by VGC, Mayles’ departure marks the end of a 35-year tenure at Rare, where he played a significant role from the company’s early days creating NES titles like Battletoads to its celebrated N64 era, during which he helped design characters such as Diddy Kong.

Best known as the director of the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles more recently served as creative director on the popular pirate adventure Sea of Thieves. For the past four years, he had been leading development on Everwild, Rare’s long-awaited fantasy follow-up that now will no longer release.

The cancellation of Everwild—now confirmed by Microsoft—comes six years after the project was first announced and roughly a decade after Rare began work on it. Louise O’Connor, the game’s executive producer, also reportedly plans to leave the studio after more than 20 years.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment.

A trailer released in July 2020 for Everwild described it as “a brand new IP from Rare, offering a unique and unforgettable experience set in a natural and magical world.” Earlier this year, Xbox head Phil Spencer remarked that he had visited the studio to check on the game's progress, saying he was pleased with the team's efforts.

However, yesterday afternoon Xbox officially canceled Everwild via a company-wide email from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty. Also axed were The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot and several unannounced projects, including a new MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios.

“We have decided to halt development on Perfect Dark and Everwild, as well as wind down several unannounced projects in our portfolio,” Booty stated.

“As part of this restructuring, we are closing The Initiative studio. These changes, along with other team adjustments, are part of a strategic shift to reallocate resources and focus our priorities in a rapidly evolving industry.

“We did not take these decisions lightly, as each project and team represent years of dedication, creativity, and hard work.”