Microsoft has announced yet another round of layoffs across its gaming division, and according to reports, Rare will be hit hard by changes at the company. Not only is the veteran developer expected to lose a chunk of its workforce, but its game Everwild has also reportedly been canceled.
According to VGC–and corroborated by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier–Everwild has been placed on the chopping block following over a decade of work on it. The game was formally revealed all the way back in November 2019, but beyond a trailer for it in 2020, updates on it have been almost non-existent. Anonymous developers speaking to VGC say that Rare couldn’t find the right direction for this project, even after it was rebooted.
In February, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that Everwild was proceeding well and that Rare was making “progress” on the project. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed many specifics on the layoffs yet, but we do know that just under 4% of its global workforce across the organization, including its Xbox division, will be let go. This works out to around 9,000 people, and it has been confirmed that Barcelona-based mobile game developer King is losing 10% of its staff.
In a memo sent to staff, Spencer said that the job losses were necessary so that Xbox could achieve “enduring” success, even amidst its currently thriving video game business and its recent announcement that new next-gen consoles are in development.