Everwild is the brand new game from Sea of Thieves developer Rare which promises to give us our fix of magic and nature. But the Xbox exclusive hasn’t had the smoothest of development journies.
Revealed during XO19, Everwild’s announcement trailer painted a picture of the magical and nature-rich world inhabited by a world of enchanting (and peculiar) looking creatures while a second trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2020 introduced us to ‘Eternals’, the human player characters that have a “symbiotic” relationship with these creatures. Little was shared about the game’s narrative or gameplay and then things went quiet, with Everwild noticeably absent from Xbox’s showcase at E3 2021. And we may now know why.
A report by VGC (opens in new tab) claims that Everwild has been rebooted with a new creative director and a tentative 2024 release window target, with the game’s initial design having been “started from scratch”. But according to Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, speaking with Kinda Funny (opens in new tab) in October 2021, words like “reset” and “restructure” sound “more definite and a little more extreme” than the reality of the situation.
Everwild now seems to be back on track, though, with Booty stating during the interview that the Rare team “don’t want to keep things hidden for too long”. But how different the Xbox exclusive will look compared to its first two trailers remains to be seen.
We’re hoping to finally see the “rebooted” Everwild, and find out more details, at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase taking place on June 12 as part of Summer Game Fest 2022. So make sure to check out our guide on how to watch the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase to catch all the action live.
Until then, read on for everything we know about Everwild so far (but keep in mind some details may now be redundant following the reported reboot).
Everwild: cut to the chase
- What is it? A brand new game from the Rare, the makers of Sea of Thieves
- When can I play it? TBC
- What can I play it on? Xbox Series X|S and PC
Everwild release date and platforms
Rare still hasn’t confirmed the Everwild release date, but VGC’s report claims that the developer is now “optimistically” targeting a 2024 release date following a reboot.
While it may be a while before we get our hands on Everwild, we do know the game will be an Xbox exclusive, coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. It’ll also be available on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one.
What’s more, Everwild will be an Xbox Series X|S Optimized title, meaning it has been developed to take advantage of the capabilities of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. That means we can expect unparalleled load-times, visuals, responsiveness, and framerates up to 120 fps.
Everwild trailers
Everwild Eternals Trailer
Rare’s second Everwild trailer was released during the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020 and revealed more of Everwild’s magical world and peculiar creatures, and also introduced us to ‘Eternals’, the player characters.
While this trailer gives us a closer look at Everwild’s world, and highlights that the game seems to hinge on humans and nature working together, it didn’t shed much light on the game’s actual narrative – or what gameplay will involve.
It’s worth bearing in mind that, given reports of a reboot, it’s unclear how much of what’s shown in this trailer will be in the final product, but it’s still a lovely trailer to watch. Check it out below (or check out the director’s commentary trailer (opens in new tab) for even more insight):
Everwild reveal trailer
Rare announced Everwild with a reveal trailer during Microsoft’s XO19 event in November 2019. The first trailer paints a picture of the magical and nature-rich world we’ll be exploring in Everwild, which is inhabited by an odd (but beautiful) array of creatures – with some more pleasant than others.
It’s worth bearing in mind that, as we’ve stated above, it’s unclear how much of what’s shown in this trailer will be in the final product but it’s still worth checking out:
Everwild news and rumors
We’ve rounded up all the biggest news and rumors around Everwild below for your perusal. It’s worth noting that previously confirmed news and features may now be redundant, given the game’s reported reboot (read more on that below).
Matt Booty weighs in on reboot rumors
Speaking with Kinda Funny (opens in new tab) in October 2021, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty explained that using words like “reset” and “restructure” sound “more definite and a little more extreme” than the reality of the situation.
“What is Rare known for?” Booty said. “They’re known for creating new IP and creating worlds. I’ll say when you look at it from the outside, when you hear words like ‘reset’ and maybe ‘restructure,’ those are probably a little more definite and a little more extreme than what really happens as a game comes to life.”
Booty compared the development cycle to his time working with NBA Jam developer Mark Trammell.
“He used to say that a game gets made a thousand small decisions at a time,” Booty said. “Every day you’re making hundreds of small decisions and at the end of however long you work on the game, they all add up. I think that’s where the Everwild team is right now. They’re just trying to make sure that they’ve got something special.”
“There are some days where you’re just terrified,” Booty added. “‘What are they making? How is this ever going to come together?’ Then you balance that out with a day later, this build comes together and you’re like ‘this is magic.'”
E3 2021 absence due to a reboot
According to a report by VGC (opens in new tab), Everwild was absent from E3 2021 because the game has been “completely rebooted” following the departure of its creative director.
The report claims, according to VGC’s publishing sources, following the departure of Everwild’s creative director, Simon Woodroffe, the game’s design has been “restarted from scratch” with Gregg Mayles (whose previous credits include Banjo-Kazooie and Sea of Thieves) at the helm.
According to the report, due to this reboot, it will be a while before we get an update on Everwild, with Rare now “optimistically” targeting a 2024 release date.
It could be years away
Xbox exclusive Everwild is still in the early stages of development and it could be a while before we get the chance to play it. In fact, speaking on a VGC Off the Record podcast (opens in new tab), industry reporter and head of GamesIndustry.biz Chris Dring said that the game’s release, along with other announced Xbox exclusives, could be many years down the line.
Based on conversations he’s had with employees at Xbox Game Studios, Dring said, “Those games that they announced – Everwild, Perfect Dark, Fable – are so far away. As in, there might even be a new Xbox (a mid-tier upgrade) by the time those games come out.
They are so far away, and no wonder Xbox is looking at investing and signing certain products at the minute, because they don’t have a lineup of big exclusives at all.”
Something the ‘world hasn’t seen before’
Rare’s James Blackham, lead designer on Everwild, has been talking about the game on LinkedIn, as spotted by Twitter user IdleSloth. While not much is known about Everwild at the moment, Blackham has said, promoting a job listing for a Senior Game Designer at Rare, that Everwild is “something the world doesn’t have and hasn’t seen before”, adding, “Something unique is brewing at Rare.”
This bodes well for the game but given Rare is advertising for what could be a pretty crucial role in Everwild’s development, it seems pretty safe to assume that development is still in its early stages.
Everwild is “something the world doesn’t have and hasn’t seen before”Source:https://t.co/sXrEnxzVfU pic.twitter.com/trNQmOHOGMMarch 5, 2021
Creative director leaves the project
Everwild’s creative director, Simon Woodroffe has resigned from Rare and departed the project. As reported by VGC (opens in new tab), Microsoft has confirmed Woodroffe’s departure but has said that Everwild development is still in good hands.
Studio head Craig Duncan is quoted as saying, “We thank Simon for all his hard work on Everwild and wish him the very best of luck for the future.
“The Everwild team is in good hands and passionate about building a game that will give players unforgettable experiences in a natural and magical world.”
Rare hasn’t discussed Everwild much ‘because it’s still playing around with gameplay ideas’
Rare has been fairly quiet when it comes to Everwild, but studio head Craig Duncan said in July 2020 that there was a reason for that. According to Duncan, in an interview with Polygon (opens in new tab), Everwild is a “very unique game.”
“We learned a lot from Sea of Thieves,” he said. “At its heart, we love the idea of Sea of Thieves [and] players creating stories together. I think with Everwild, Louise [O’Connor] and her leadership team are really passionate about giving players a world that they can just lose themselves in – you know, a lot of nature feels magical.
“So the notion of, ‘What does it mean to nurture a world? What does it mean to be in nature?’
“Part of the reason we haven’t talked a lot about Everwild is that we’re still feeling a lot of these things out. We’re still playing around with gameplay ideas.
“We’ll have plenty to say in the future on that, but … we have an idea we feel really passionate about, and we think there’s something special. I have a team of people that wake up every morning with the desire to make this game that they’re really, really passionate about.”
Director’s Commentary
Speaking in the Director’s Commentary video about the Everwild Eternals trailer, Rare executive producer Louise O’Connor and art director Ryan Stevenson shed some more light on what awaits us in Everwild.
In the video, it was explained that player characters are called Eternals – who seem to have a dedicated creature that stays by their side. Stevenson also pointed out that moments we see in the trailer of “connection” between the Eternals and the animals are key to Everwild.
Stevenson explained that the relationship between the Eternals and the bird-like creature which swoops down and takes bread from one of them is “symbiotic”, which seems to be one of the main themes of Everwild: the relationship between nature and humans. In some cases, such as with the creature that pulls down trees, it seems the Eternals can use this symbiotic relationship to have creatures help them.
While we don’t know exactly what Everwild is about just yet, it seems that the Eternals serve as “protectors” of nature in some way. In the Eternals trailer, we see one Eternal marking around a tree in an effort to protect it from a “swarm of insects” which are slowly going through the world and eating. It’s unclear if this will be a key aspect of the story, but it does imply that Everwild will have us fighting to protect nature at least in part.
You can watch the video below:
It’s going to be a “unique” game
“While Everwild is still early in development, we are very excited about the unique potential of the game we are creating,” Rare studio head Craig Duncan said in an announcement (opens in new tab) post for the game back in 2019. “The Everwild team is focused on building an experience that allows for new ways to play in a natural and magical world. The development team, led by executive producer Louise O’Connor, is creating something truly original and incredibly special that aims to be more than just a new IP. Everwild will offer memorable, engaging, and meaningful experiences for players everywhere to share. We cannot wait to share more with you in the future.”
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