Xbox Cancels Rare’s Everwild Amid Layoffs
▼ Summary
– Rare’s long-in-development game Everwild has been canceled after nearly six years since its reveal and a decade of development.
– Microsoft is cutting nearly 9,000 jobs, with Xbox division impacted, as part of efforts to focus on strategic growth areas.
– Everwild was first unveiled in 2019 with a trailer but lacked details on gameplay or scope, and Rare remained vague about its mechanics in subsequent updates.
– The game reportedly underwent a complete design overhaul in 2021 after its creative director departed, but development stalled afterward.
– Despite Xbox’s earlier patience, Microsoft has now canceled Everwild, leaving Rare’s future with the project uncertain.
The highly anticipated Xbox exclusive Everwild from Rare has officially been canceled after years of development struggles, marking another casualty in Microsoft’s ongoing gaming division restructuring. Sources confirm the open-world adventure title has been shelved permanently, ending a project that first surfaced in 2019 but never solidified its core gameplay vision.
This decision arrives alongside broader workforce reductions at Microsoft, with nearly 9,000 jobs reportedly being eliminated across the company. Xbox leadership framed these cuts as necessary for long-term stability, with Gaming CEO Phil Spencer emphasizing a shift toward “strategic growth areas” in an internal memo. The note hinted at scaling back certain projects while streamlining operations, a move that now clearly impacted Rare’s troubled development cycle.
Originally revealed with a visually striking trailer, Everwild promised a mystical nature-based experience but struggled to define its mechanics. Early descriptions from Xbox executives suggested players would “lose themselves” in a world centered on nurturing ecosystems, yet concrete details remained scarce. Development hurdles mounted when creative director Simon Woodroffe exited in 2021, triggering a complete reboot of the game’s design, a reset that ultimately failed to produce a viable direction.
Despite Spencer’s past assurances that Xbox could afford patience with ambitious projects, the plug has been pulled. The cancellation raises questions about Rare’s future output, though the studio continues supporting its hit multiplayer title Sea of Thieves. Microsoft has yet to comment publicly on the decision or whether any elements of Everwild might resurface elsewhere.
For now, fans of Rare’s distinctive artistry are left with only glimpses of what might have been, a lush, enigmatic world that never found its footing. The studio’s next steps remain unclear as Xbox tightens its focus on proven franchises and clearer commercial opportunities.
(Source: POLYGON)
