Everwild has reportedly been cancelled amid Xbox layoffs

In at this time’s gaming world, a decade of growth can generally quantity to nothing. Mother or father firm Microsoft has reportedly cancelled Uncommon’s long-in-development venture Everwild. The information comes amid broader layoffs across Microsoft’s Xbox division.

Uncommon workers will doubtless be a part of the Xbox layoffs, according to Video Video games Chronicle. VGC and Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier had been the primary to report the sport’s cancellation. (Schreier added that an MMORPG venture from Zenimax, codenamed “Blackbird,” was additionally scrapped.)

Uncommon formally announced Everwild in 2019. However the sport had been in growth since round 2014. Its trailer lastly arrived 5 years in the past, hinting at a lush and magical environment. Nevertheless, the footage offered no hints about gameplay. Which will have been intentional. Its growth reportedly suffered from an absence of clear path.

It was even mentioned to have survived a “restart from scratch” in 2021 when Gregg Mayles took over path. (He is recognized for titles like Donkey Kong Nation, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata and Sea of Thieves.) Xbox defined the dearth of official updates by saying it was ready till it had “one thing cool to indicate.”

As just lately as February, the sport gave the impression to be on observe. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer said, “It is good to see the group with Everwild and the progress that they are making.” Phrases, phrases, phrases…

That brings us to at this time, with the coda of an all-too-familiar story. Builders lose jobs. Players miss out on the prospect to play one thing that had numerous sources poured into it. And the gaming trade tightens its belt even further. How a lot tighter can it get?