Gregg Mayles first started working with Rare back in 1990 on Solar Jetman. He has also worked on Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves.
The screenshots indicate that a lot of the gameplay in Everwild would have involved players tending to nature in the world around them.
Louise O'Connor is joining fellow Rare alumnus Craig Duncan, who had taken up the role of head of Xbox Game Studios last year.
The seasonal content in Sea of Thieves going forward will be split across three months worth of planned events and content releases.
Developer Rare likely wants to assure Sea of Thieves fans that it has been unaffected in the wake of Everwild's cancellation.
There's reportedly always been "outside interest" in revisiting the Banjo-Kazooie franchise but Rare was more interested in new IPs.
Xbox’s once bold vision for the future now feels uncertain as layoffs and major project cancellations shake gamers' confidence.
Several game studios under Microsoft are seeing a shake-up, including Rare, where veteran designers have allegedly departed.
The project has reportedly been in development for almost a decade with Phil Spencer even recently claiming that it was progressing.
Rare's long-delayed title is allegedly "on track," while Undead Labs' next game is reportedly still launching sometime in 2026.
Rare and Nintendo's acclaimed 1996 N64 fighting game is available now for all members of the service's costlier subscription tier.
"We’ve been able to give those teams time in what they’re doing, which is good, and still have a portfolio like we have," said Phil Spencer.
The long-in-development and repeatedly delayed title has re-emerged with new artwork released by Rare for the holidays.
The latest season adds a (mostly) silent weapon in the Blowpipe, a Grappling Gun, disguises for sneaking around, and more.
Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg has reassured fans that the company is well aware of their love for the Banjo IP, contrary to some recent reports.
The acclaimed N64 platformer will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers later this month, Nintendo has announced.
Meanwhile, Joe Neate and Jim Horth will replace Duncan as the heads of Rare, with the latter moving up to take charge of Xbox Game Studios.
Developer Rare has finally managed to nail the troubled game's core gameplay loop, and we "should be seeing that in the future", it's claimed.
Crouching will soon become a viable means of sneaking, and players can even equip barrels and treasure chests as disguises.
The PS5 release of Sea of Thieves has been quite successful for Microsoft, with a report claiming that it has sold over a million units on the platform.
