Sources: Banjo-Kazooie, Sea of Thieves director leaves Rare after 35 years, following Everwild cancellation
Influential designer Gregg Mayles will leave the company, according to sources
Gregg Mayles, Rare’s most experienced and influential game designer, will leave the company after more than 35 years, sources have told VGC.
According to multiple people at the studio, who spoke to VGC anonymously, Mayles will leave Rare following news of Everwild’s cancellation on Wednesday. The designer had been directing the project since its team was restructured in 2021.
According to the sources, executive producer Louise O’Connor, another Rare veteran whose first project was Conker’s Bad Fur Day for Nintendo 64, will also leave the company following Everwild’s cancellation.
VGC has asked Microsoft for comment on this story.
Mayles was one of Rare’s earliest design hires, with his first credited game, Solar Jetman, releasing 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 Pinata.
Under Microsoft, he also designed Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Kinect Sports, and served as the creative director for its live service hit Sea of Thieves. In total, Mayles has worked on nearly 30 games at Rare.
If confirmed, his departure would mark the end of an era for the historic British developer, with only a small group of employees remaining from its pre-Microsoft era.
Founded in 1985, Rare is best known for Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, and Banjo-Kazooie. Microsoft acquired Rare in 2002, and it has since gone on to create titles such as Kameo, Viva Piñata, Kinect Sports, and Sea of Thieves under the Xbox banner.
On Wednesday, Microsoft confirmed the cancellation of Everwild as part of significant company-wide layoffs, which could reportedly see as many as 9.000 people laid off across all of its departments.
“We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio,” said Microsoft Studios’ Matt Booty in a company-wide e-mail.
“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.”
