Rare Addresses Everwild Cancellation Following MS Layoffs

Xbox developer Rare, best known today for Sea of Thieves, has commented on MS’s recent mass layoffs, which led to the cancellation of the studio’s long-developed project, Everwild.

Rare Acknowledges the Cancellation

At the beginning of Rare’s July developer update video for Sea of Thieves, production director Drew Stevens addressed the layoffs. “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 said, via GamesRadar.

Everwild was formally revealed in November 2019. However, aside from a trailer released in 2020, updates on the game were almost nonexistent. Sources said Rare was unable to find the right direction for Everwild, and the project is now no longer in development.

Sea of Thieves Development Continues

Stevens said the cancellation of Everwild did not “directly impact” Sea of Thieves, adding that development is continuing as planned. “Our focus as a team and a studio is on supporting our friends and colleagues whose roles are at risk,” he said.

Stevens added that it is “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.”

He also thanked those who had contacted the studio: “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.”

Wider Xbox and MS Cutbacks

Everwild was not the only project canceled as part of the Xbox cutbacks. MS also canceled a new MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios, as well as the new Perfect Dark. Numerous developers across MS’s network of studios were also laid off.

The cuts were part of a broader downsizing effort at MS that affected more than 9,000 people, against the backdrop of the company investing billions in artificial intelligence projects. Some laid-off developers at MS-owned Candy Crush studio King said they were set to be replaced by AI systems they had helped create.

All the Xbox Games Canceled and Studios Closed in MS’s Latest Mass Layoffs

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