Rare's mysterious nature sim Everwild has been cancelled as part of Xbox mass layoffs, according to reports

Update: Microsoft corroborate reports

Update: Microsoft's Matt Booty has confirmed that Everwild has been cancelled on with The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot and respective unannounced games.

Original communicative follows:

Microsoft person cancelled Rare's wistful bucolic ramble Everwild arsenic portion of wider layoffs astatine the institution this month, according to a report. Microsoft themselves person yet to comment, but the quality wouldn't beryllium unexpected fixed that Everwild has been successful improvement for astir a decade, including its prototype phase, yet remains thing of a mystery.

The communicative comes from VGC, who mention "people with cognition of the project". The aforesaid sources assertion that squad members are apt to suffer their jobs successful the process.

Everwild was revealed backmost successful 2019 arsenic a verdant phantasy acquisition that seeks "new ways to play successful a earthy and magical world". It formed you arsenic an "eternal" being communing with plants and animals by means of staff-wielding rites, and seemed devoid of video crippled staples similar combat and progression.

Over the years we've been treated to much trailers and conception art, but Rare person ne'er rather explained what players bash successful the game, perchance due to the fact that they hadn't worked it retired themselves. The developers "restarted the task from scratch" successful 2021, according to rumours, pursuing the departure of originative manager Simon Woodroffe.

I myself liked the peacenik green-living stylings of Everwild's announcement trailer, and was intrigued alternatively than confused by Rare's elusiveness astir tasks, goals and mechanics. Xbox brag wizard Phil Spencer was likewise affirmative erstwhile helium talked astir the crippled earlier this year, commenting "we've been capable to springiness those teams clip successful what they're doing which is bully and inactive person a portfolio similar we have."

At the aforesaid time, Everwild has ever felt similar a hard merchantability wrong Microsoft, adjacent fixed the comparative occurrence of the comparably playful and bloodshed-averse Sea of Thieves. Microsoft bash not historically spell successful for this benignant of hippy fairytale, to enactment it mildly. And erstwhile a crippled is successful the works (in immoderate form) for 10 years and inactive doesn't person a merchandise date, a blessed ending seems unlikely.

I'll message Microsoft for comment. If you're employed astatine Rare, champion of luck navigating each this.