Rare's Gregg Mayles Reportedly Departs After Everwild Axed

Renowned Rare designer and director Gregg Mayles is reportedly set to leave the studio in the wake of sweeping Xbox staff and project cuts announced yesterday, which included the long-in-development title Everwild.

According to VGC, Mayles' departure marks the conclusion of a highly impactful 35-year career at Rare, tracing back to the studio’s early years with titles like the NES game Battletoads, and spanning its celebrated N64 era where he contributed to character designs such as Diddy Kong.

Best known as the director of the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles more recently took on the role of creative director for the successful pirate adventure Sea of Thieves. Over the past four years, he had been leading development on Everwild, Rare's highly anticipated fantasy project that has now been officially canceled.

Microsoft has now confirmed the termination of Everwild, six years after its initial announcement and roughly a decade of development at Rare. Louise O'Connor, who served as the game's producer, will also reportedly exit the studio after more than twenty years.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft for additional comment.

A trailer released in July 2020 described Everwild 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 mentioned that he had visited the studio and was encouraged by the game’s progress, remarking, “It’s nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they’re making.”

However, yesterday afternoon Xbox officially announced the cancellation of Everwild in a company-wide email from Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. The Perfect Dark reboot by The Initiative has also been canceled, along with several unannounced projects, including a new MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online.

“We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild, as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio,” Booty stated.

“As part of this realignment, we are closing The Initiative. These changes are part of a wider effort to adjust priorities and allocate resources in response to a shifting industry landscape, positioning our teams for future success.

“These decisions were not made lightly—each project and team represents years of hard work, creativity, and dedication.”