Rare's Gregg Mayles Reportedly Leaves the Company After 35 Years Following Everwild Cancellation - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 July 2025 / 2,127 Views
Gregg Mayles, who has worked at Rare for over 35 years, has reportedly left the company following the cancellation of Everwild. This is according to multiple sources that spoke with VideoGamesChronicle.
Mayles had been the director on Everwild since the team was restructured in 2021. His first credited game was 1990's Solar Jetman.
He also helmed Donkey Kong Country, the Banjo series, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Viva Pinata, and more. He was also the creative director on Sea of Thieves. He has worked on nearly 30 games at Rare over the years.
The sources also claim executive producer Louise O’Connor, whose first game was Conker’s Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64, will also leave Rare.
This report comes out following mass layoffs at Microsoft, including at Xbox. Many Xbox studios have been hit with at least some layoffs.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
More Articles
Rare was near the top of the food chain at one time, what a shame what they have turned into over the years
Nintendo should take them back into the fold.
I would welcome him back if I were Nintendo!!
Would that change anything, though?
He'd at least have a place where his talents won't be squandered.
Without the original SNES/N64 team, it's just a name. They would have to hire those guys back for it to be worthwhile.
Doesn't mean he can't apply his experience at Nintendo, and he could mentor a new generation of devs.
Perhaps. But considering the last great game they made was Perfect Dark... I have my doubts. You can't mentor talent into existence.
You can still nurture it.
I remain convinced that the N64 would have truly bombed if not for Rare's amazing games. Modern devs can't get a single game out in 7 years. Yet Rare made Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Banjo, Banjo 2, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64, and Jet Force Gemini in less time than that.
Don’t forget Donkey Kong 64!
You are totally right, wtf happened to this industry, where a game suddenly takes 7+ years to make? Have the expectations of AAA games just gotten so high, that a game made in 2-3 years will automatically be disappointing?
Added it in thanks!
IMO, the RARE games are the N64 games that hold up.
Even Goldeneye holds up now because it has that "So bad it's good" vibe that Oblivion Remastered also has.
every one of those games were fun!
Killer Instinct Gold at the start was decent quality.
Mickey’s Speedway USA was the last one to come out and probably wasn’t great, but was ok and had a decent sense of speed for an N64 racer.
35 years of services is insane. Well done to him. Made some of my favourite ever games
Same here. A lot of childhoods got defined by him.
RARE may have "Fallen from grace" since the N64 days, but the Xbox 360 titles like Nuts and Bolts and Viva Pinata were actually good... And although Sea of Thieves had a rocky start, they kept supporting it and actually made it a decent game.
Yeah. I revisited Nuts & Bolts and it is a game ahead of its time with all the crafting games we have today. Rare just have this charm about them. Glad the studio isn't closed.
Way ahead of its time. My favorite 360 game.
That’s all the way back to the RC Pro-am and Battletoads era.
Very disappointed to see Everwild cancelled.
Thanks to MS, Rare's done nothing memoriable since N64
I can't blame him for leaving. The Rare we knew and loved is gone. :(
Bro 35 years, people don't live forever
Essay Pro