Sea Of Thieves Dev Reacts To Mass Xbox Layoffs With A Somber Message

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As a dedicated admirer, I’m sharing insights from Rare, the gaming powerhouse famed for Sea of Thieves, who recently addressed the widespread job cuts at Microsoft that unfortunately halted the development of their long-anticipated project, Everwild.

In the July developer update video for Sea of Thieves, Rare production director Drew Stevens began by discussing the recent layoffs. He stated, “It wouldn’t feel right to dive into our regular updates without first addressing the news that we’ve stopped working on Everwild here at Rare” (as reported by GamesRadar).

Initially unveiled as far back as November 2019, there hasn’t been much news about the game since a brief trailer in 2020. Reports indicate that developers at Rare were struggling to find the right approach for Everwild, leading to its cancellation and discontinuation of development.

In simpler terms, the discontinuation of Everwild doesn’t necessarily affect Sea of Thieves directly. Instead, Rare’s primary concern is supporting their team members who might be impacted by this change in projects.

The developer explained that since such an occurrence wouldn’t just stay contained within the studio, but would inevitably impact everyone in varying degrees, they kindly asked for patience.

Stevens expressed his gratitude to everyone who contacted him to express concern and offer encouraging words. Truly, I appreciate your kindness; it truly has a significant impact on me.

Not only was Everwild axed in Microsoft’s Xbox cost-cutting measures, but they also terminated a Massively Multiplayer Online game from ZeniMax Online Studios (the creators of The Elder Scrolls Online), as well as the new Perfect Dark project. Additionally, Microsoft dismissed several developers across their network of studios.

The reductions were a part of Microsoft’s broader plan to reduce staff, impacting over 9,000 individuals. This action occurred while Microsoft was pouring billions into artificial intelligence initiatives. Some developers from the Candy Crush studio owned by Microsoft, King, claim that they will be replaced by AI systems they themselves helped develop.

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2025-07-15 22:39