Late last year during Microsoft’s X019 event, Rare announced Everwild, it’s first new IP since Sea of Thieves, and before that, 2006's Viva Pinata. The game features a gorgeous cell-shaded open-looking world, populated by all manner of fantasy creatures, and seems to take more than a little inspiration from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but other than that, details are scant. It was announced that the Everwild team is being led by Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts vet Louise O’Connor, but who else is working on the team?
Well, the folks over at Video Games Chronicle have looked into things, and confirmed around 25 Everwild team members. Of course, there are a lot of longtime Rare employees, but there are also new additions, including James Blackman, who was previously lead technical designer for Fable Legends. Other team members include Simon Woodroffe (Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed) and Kate Watson (Total War series). Here’s a partial list of Everwild devs confirmed by VGC (check out the full list on their site):
- Louise O’Connor, exec producer (Previous: Conker’s Bad Fur Day)
- Simon Woodroffe, creative director (Previous: Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed)
- James Blackham, lead designer (Previous: Fable Legends)
- Ryan Stevenson, art director (Previous: Viva Pinata)
- Pete Campbell, technical director (Previous: Sea of Thieves)
- Kate Watson, senior narrative designer (Previous: Total War series)
- Anya Elvidge, environment artist (Previous: Creative Assembly)
According to VGC, the Everwild team is currently around 50 strong and will likely expand significantly as the project progresses. In related news, Rare currently has more than 25 open jobs listed on its website. Here’s a bit more vague information about Everwild from Rare:
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 give you memorable, engaging and meaningful experiences for players everywhere to share. We cannot wait to share more with you in the future.
We don't yet know what platforms Everwild is coming to, or when it will launch. That said, it seems likely it will be an early-ish Xbox Series X title.
