Xbox is cancelling Rare’s ‘Everwild’ as part of broader cuts — and possibly even more

In response to the recent budget reductions and layoffs at Microsoft, it appears that they have decided to cancel their upcoming game Everwild, originally developed by Rare, according to reports from Windows Central. Journalist Jason Schreier of Bloomberg also claims to have heard about this cancellation.

Everwild was first unveiled in 2019 as a new project from the U.K.-based Rare studio, known for their work on various titles such as the original Perfect Dark. More recently, Rare has gained recognition for their successful multiplayer pirate game, Sea of Thieves.

At this time, Windows Central is looking into rumors that both Perfect Dark and a new online IP from ZeniMax Online Studios may also have been cancelled. We are waiting for official confirmation as Microsoft communicates the specific areas affected by these cuts. The identity of ZeniMax’s new IP was not yet revealed, but Perfect Dark has had several trailers since its announcement. The Initiative studio, which partnered with Embracer Group’s Crystal Dynamics (known for Tomb Raider), has been working on the game for a considerable length of time.

Although there’s been much speculation about potential cuts in Microsoft’s hardware division, it appears that the upcoming Xbox hardware line, including a possible successor to the Xbox Series X with potential Steam compatibility, has remained largely untouched by these changes. This recent round of layoffs doesn’t seem to have affected their next-gen Xbox hardware plans.

This month, Microsoft announced a new wave of layoffs affecting approximately 9,000 employees across different business units and departments. These cuts bring the company’s total number of job reductions this year to 15,300, following previous rounds in January and May. The company claims that these changes are part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at reducing its global workforce by 4%.

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2025-07-02 18:09