Xbox developer Rare has officially confirmed the cancellation of its long-in-development project,
Everwild, a decision directly linked to recent mass layoffs at Microsoft.
Drew Stevens, Rare’s production director, shared the news during a July developer update video
for Sea of Thieves. “It would be strange to jump straight into our usual updates without
acknowledging the news that we’ve ended development on Everwild here at Rare,” Stevens stated.
Originally revealed in November 2019, Everwild saw limited updates beyond a trailer in
2020. Sources indicated that the studio struggled to establish a clear direction for the game,
leading to its discontinuation.
Stevens emphasized that the cancellation of Everwild did not directly impact the ongoing
development of Sea of Thieves. “Our focus as a team and a studio is on supporting our friends
and colleagues whose roles are at risk,” he added.
He acknowledged the broader impact of the layoffs, noting it’s “impossible for something like this
not to ripple through the studio and affect all of us in some way or another, so please bear with
us.” Stevens also extended gratitude to those who offered support, saying, “I just wanted to say thank
you to everyone who’s reached out to check in on us and share their kind words of support.
Genuinely, thank you, it really means a lot.”
The layoffs at Microsoft were extensive, affecting over 9,000 employees and leading to the
cancellation of several projects beyond Everwild. These included a new MMO from ZeniMax
Online Studios, the developer behind The Elder Scrolls Online, and the new Perfect Dark
game.
These cutbacks occurred amidst Microsoft’s significant investments in artificial intelligence. Notably,
some developers laid off from the Candy Crush studio King reportedly believe they will be replaced
by AI systems they helped create.
