Veteran Rare designer and director Gregg Mayles is reportedly leaving the studio in the wake of yesterday's sweeping Xbox staff and project cuts, which included the long-in-development game Everwild.

As reported by VGC, Mayles's departure concludes an influential 35-plus year career at Rare. His tenure spanned the studio's origins, working on NES titles like Battletoads, through its N64 heyday where he contributed to character designs such as Diddy Kong.

Best known as the director of the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles most recently served as creative director on the hit pirate adventure Sea of Thieves. For the past four years, he had been overseeing Everwild, Rare's long-gestating fantasy project that has now been officially canceled.

Microsoft has now confirmed Everwild's cancellation, six years after its initial announcement and following roughly a decade of development work at Rare. Producer Louise O'Connor, who had been on the project, is also reportedly leaving the studio after more than 20 years.

IGN has reached out to Microsoft for comment.

The last Everwild trailer, released in July 2020, described it as "a brand new IP from Rare" promising "a unique and unforgettable experience in a natural and magical world." Earlier this year in February, Xbox head Phil Spencer mentioned he had visited the studio to check on the game's progress, stating he was pleased to see the team's efforts.

Yesterday afternoon, Xbox formally canceled Everwild via a company-wide email from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty. The cancellation of The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot was also confirmed, alongside several unannounced projects, including a new MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios.

"We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild, as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio," Booty wrote.

"As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other team changes, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to better position our teams for success in a changing industry.

"We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represents years of effort, imagination, and commitment."