First screenshots leak for Rare and Xbox’s cancelled Everwild

Screenshots of Rare and Xbox’s cancelled Everwild have surfaced, via the portfolio of an artist who worked on the game.

The images, first highlighted by MP1st, mainly showcase the UI elements proposed for the game, which was only ever shown via short teaser trailers during its lengthy development.

Little was ever shown publicly of Everwild, and its development is understood to have included many twists, including a reboot of the project and its leadership in 2021.

At one point, developers told VGC the game was intended to feature no violence or combat at all, with another former developer comparing the game to Rare‘s Xbox 360 garden game Viva Piñata.

Microsoft confirmed the cancellation of Everwild as part of significant company-wide layoffs in July, reportedly resulting in as many as 9,000 people being laid off across all of its departments, including Rare.

As part of the cuts, many senior members of the Everwild team lost their jobs. Notably, one senior creative affected by Everwild’s cancellation was Gregg Mayles, who was by far Rare’s most experienced and influential game designer, and is set to leave the studio after more than 35 years.

Mayles was one of Rare’s earliest design hires, with his first credited game, Solar Jetman, released in 1990.

He went on to become one of the British studio’s most prolific and celebrated game directors, helming Donkey Kong Country and its sequel, Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, and Viva Piñata.