Rare’s Everwild was originally revealed back in 2019, but we haven’t seen much from it since outside of a short trailer at Xbox’s 2020 showcase event. Part of the reason behind this is that the game was supposedly rebooted mid-development, pushing Everwild‘s release back until at least 2024. A new rumor has popped up recently that claims the game we saw in 2020 might’ve introduced some big changes that switch up the tone and structure. While rumors like these need to be taken with a dose of skepticism, it would line up with the rumors of a reboot.
This rumor comes from VGC’s Andy Robinson who said that he had heard Everwild was now “a bit more Viva Piรฑata than the survival game the earlier trailers hinted at.” Again, we have to take this with a grain of salt but keep in mind that Robinson previously worked at Playtonic and has been involved in the UK gaming scene for quite a while. Considering Rare is also based there, it would stand to reason that, if anyone has the inside scoop, it’s him.
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It’s also worth noting that, as Robinson points out in his tweet, Everwild‘s game director is Gregg Mayles, who previously worked as the lead designer on the original Viva Piรฑata. Obviously, he’s worked on other games at Rare as well, but having that kind of pedigree behind Everwild makes the potential change make a bit more sense. Either way, Mayles’ track record is generally solid, so Everwild does seem to be in good hands.
Even though Everwild‘s release might still be a year or more away, hopefully, we’ll start to see more about it later this week. Xbox has a new Showcase on June 11 that’s set for around two hours of “in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematics,” according to vice president for Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenberg. We don’t know exactly what’s going to be at the show, but after Sony’s lackluster showing at its own showcase, fans are hoping Xbox is able to deliver some show-stoppers. Everwild could be one of the games to do just that.
