Rare's Gregg Mayles exits after Everwild axed

Gregg Mayles, the esteemed Rare designer and creative director, is reportedly departing the studio following yesterday's extensive Xbox layoffs and project cancellations that included the long-awaited Everwild.

Mayles' exit, as reported by VGC, concludes his remarkable 35-year tenure at Rare – a career spanning from the studio's early NES titles like Battletoads through its N64 golden era, where he shaped iconic characters including Diddy Kong.

Best recognized as the director behind N64 masterpiece Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles most recently served as creative lead for the successful pirate adventure Sea of Thieves. For the past four years, he had been guiding Rare's ambitious fantasy project Everwild, now confirmed canceled.

Microsoft's confirmation of Everwild's cancellation arrives six years after its initial reveal and approximately ten years into Rare's development efforts. Louise O'Connor, the project's producer with over twenty years at Rare, will also reportedly depart.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment.

The final Everwild trailer from July 2020 described it as: "Rare's original IP promising a magical journey through an untamed natural world." Earlier this year, Xbox head Phil Spencer expressed optimism after visiting the studio, stating: "It's encouraging to see Everwild's continued development progress."

Yesterday's official announcement came via Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty's staff email, confirming Everwild's cancellation alongside The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot and undisclosed projects like ZeniMax Online Studios' planned MMO.

"We're halting development on Perfect Dark and Everwild, plus sunsetting multiple undisclosed projects," Booty wrote.

"This includes closing The Initiative studio. These strategic changes reflect our commitment to reallocating resources amid industry evolution.

"These difficult decisions follow careful consideration of every project and dedicated team's years of creative investment."