Although its absence at Xbox and Bethesda’s showcase yesterday didn’t raise too many eyebrows, a report from VGC suggests that players probably shouldn’t expect to see Rare’s Everwild for quite some time with the game having undergone a complete reboot following a shift in leadership last year.
Everwild, now targeting a 2024 launch window, was a pretty nebulous concept to begin with, and Rare themselves admitted following its initial reveal that they were still toying with gameplay mechanics to build the world around.
In their report, VGC suggests the reboot and subsequent setback is a result of ex-creative director Simon Woodroffe’s departure last year, which led to the arrival of Rare’s most senior creative employee, designer Gregg Mayles has come on board to lead the reboot. With titles like Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, and Viva Pinata under his belt, we’re hopeful his leadership will help steer the eventual direction of Everwild to promising places.
VGC reports that, according to a person close to the project, as of late year, Everwild was a third-person adventure with god game elements. A mandate from Rare’s leadership to not have any combat in the game at all had led to hard to overcome hurdles in the game’s design.
We do know Rare is expected to appear at Friday’s extended Xbox Games Showcase, which is expected to be a more relaxed, conversational event where they might take the opportunity to get on the front foot about Everwild’s trouble development.
