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Everwild is a cancelled action-adventure video game that was being developed by Rare for Windows and Xbox Series X/S consoles. The game was originally announced at X019 in 2019 and would have launched on Xbox Game Pass and also have been playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming.[1]

After its announcement, the game only ever received one additional trailer during the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase and was reportedly stuck in development hell in the years after its announcement.[2][3]

On July 2, 2025, following layoffs of over 9000 Microsoft employees, development on the game was ended, in addition to the Perfect Dark reboot and several other games.[4]

Development

Development reportedly started for Everwild sometime in 2014, as the studio experimented with several new ideas and concepts that would later become their new IP.[5] The game was officially unveiled five years later at London during X019 , and was described as featuring "memorable, engaging, and meaningful experiences for players everywhere to share" in a "natural and magical world."[1]

The following year at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase that was held as a part of the Xbox 20/20 event, another trailer for Everwild was released that further explored the "natural and magical world" the game is set in. It was also revealed that players would take control of Eternals in the game and be able to explore and build bonds with the world.[3]

On September 8, 2020, a twelve-minute director's commentary was released for the game's second trailer. The video further explored the game's characters, creatures, and world, and gave hints on how they are all connected.[6] Within the video, the game's art director Ryan Stevenson confirmed that the game would include "a number of different environments to experience and explore throughout a player’s Everwild journey."[7]

In October 2020, Everwild's creative director and most senior developer, Simon Woodroffe resigned from his position at Rare. Rare studio head Craig Duncan stated that "The Everwild team are in good hands."[8]

After being absent from the 2021 Xbox Games Showcase, it was revealed that development of Everwild had been restarted from scratch, with the game aiming for a 2024 release.[9] VGC reported that Rare veteran Gregg Mayles, who had been at the studio for over thirty years had been appointed as creative director for the rebooted project.[10]

"Great day at Rare, hanging out with the developers at their desks and playing Everwild." via Threads

"Great day at Rare, hanging out with the developers at their desks and playing Everwild." Phil Spencer via Threads.[11]

In a post to Threads on October 24, 2024, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer uploaded an image of himself with several developers from Rare stating that he had spent the day "hanging out with the developers at their desks and playing Everwild," confirming that the game was still in development and in a playable state.[12] Two months later, in their "Happy Holidays" post on X (formerly Twitter), Rare included a new piece of artwork for Everwild, hinting at more news being revealed in the following year.[13]

In early July 2025, Microsoft announced that over 9000 people would be laid off from various departments, including several jobs across their gaming division.[14] Amongst these layoffs included almost 50% of Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios, 200 jobs from mobile developer King, the closure of The Initiative and cancellation of their Perfect Dark reboot, the cancellation of a new unannounced ZeniMax Online Studios IP, and the cancelation of Rare's upcoming game Everwild.[15] The confirmation of these cancelations was confirmed via an internal email sent by Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty.

“ We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio. As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment. ”

—Xbox Game Studio head Matt Booty in an internal email following the layoffs.[16]

As a part of the layoffs, Everwild creative director and long-time game designer at Rare, Gregg Mayles, as well as Rare executive producer Louise O' Connor were let go following the game's cancellation.[17]

Gallery

Videos

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Duncan, Craig (November 14, 2019). "X019: Rare Announce Its New IP and Share Details on the Next Sea of Thieves Update". Rare studio head. Xbox Wire. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  2. ↑ Welsh, Oli (February 18, 2025). "Microsoft will let Rare and Double Fine cook, says Phil Spencer". Polygon. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tuttle, Will (July 23, 2020). "Introducing the Largest, Most Creatively Diverse Games Lineup in Console History, Led by Halo Infinite". Xbox Wire. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ Tom Warren; Jay Peters (July 3, 2025). "Microsoft cancels its Perfect Dark and Everwild Xbox games". The Verge. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  5. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (July 2, 2025). "After 11 years of development, 6 years of marketing, and a full reboot, Rare's Everwild has been canceled amid mass Xbox layoffs – 5 months after Phil Spencer's assurances it's making "progress"". Gamesradar. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ Nicholas, Heidi (September 8, 2020). "Everwild developers discuss the latest trailer and share new concept art". True Achievements. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ Duncan, Craig (September 8, 2020). "A Window Into Another World: Everwild Trailer Gets a Directors’ Commentary". Xbox Wire. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ Robinson, Andy (October 29, 2020). "Everwild’s most senior developer, creative director Simon Woodroffe, has resigned from his position at Rare, VGC understands.". Video Game Chronicle. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (June 15, 2021). "Report: Everwild ‘restarted from scratch,’ Rare now aiming for 2024". Polygon. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  10. ↑ Robinson, Andy (June 14, 2021). "Why wasn’t Everwild at E3? It’s been ‘completely rebooted’". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  11. ↑ Phil Spencer (October 24, 2024). "Great day at Rare, hanging out with the developers at their desks and playing Everwild.". Threads. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ Clarke, Jon (October 24, 2024). "Remember Everwild? Phil Spencer visits Rare and goes hands-on". Xbox Era. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ Gilbert, Fraser (December 27, 2024). "Xbox Fans Treated To Surprise 'Everwild' Appearance Ahead Of The New Year". Pure Xbox. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  14. ↑ Warren, Tom (July 3, 2025). "Microsoft is laying off as many as 9,000 employees". The Verge. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ Tolbert, Samuel (July 2, 2025). "Microsoft continues Xbox layoffs, with jobs cut at King, Turn 10, ZeniMax Media, and more — read Phil Spencer's note to staff". Windows Central. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 2, 2025). "[UPDATE Rare’s Everwild Canceled, Internal Email Confirms as Microsoft Layoffs Sweep Across Xbox]". IGN. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.
  17. ↑ Robinson, Andy (July 2, 2025). "Sources: Everwild has been cancelled as Xbox layoffs hit Rare". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved on July 3, 2025.

External links