Everwild's Creative Director Has Left Rare

Another director has left an Xbox Game Studios project, this time at Rare. Creative Director Simon Woodroffe has resigned from Rare, according to a new report from VGC.

Microsoft confirmed the departure to VGC in a follow-up statement. Studio head Craig Duncan told VGC that the team thanks Woodroffe for his work on Rare's upcoming game. "The Everwild team are in good hands and passionate about building a game that will give players unforgettable experiences in a natural and magical world," said Duncan.

This is the second major departure of a director working on one of Microsoft's big next-gen games. Yesterday, it was announced that Halo Infinite had lost its creative director, its second in as many years. No reason was given to VGC for Woodroffe's departure.

Everwild got a new trailer earlier this year as part of an Xbox Series X showcase. The new game from the studio behind many classics, as well as multiplayer pirate game Sea of Thieves, looks to focus on grand adventures in a nature-laden, magical world.

We don't know much else about Rare's mysterious project; only that it's coming to Xbox Series X and PC, and it looks pretty gorgeous. No release date has been set yet, either. Considering the trajectory Rare has had with Sea of Thieves, there's hopefully been some lessons learned that the studio can apply moving forward.

The Xbox Series X and S, meanwhile, launch on Nov. 10, 2020. Be sure to check our first hands-on impressions of the hefty Series X here.