Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer mentioned Rare’s Everwild game in an appearance on the 250th episode of the Xbox Era podcast. During the 36-minute-long conversation, the executive named it among his most anticipated games (among those that have been announced) alongside State of Decay 3 and the next project from Double Fine.
I’ll go back to what I said earlier. State of Decay is just one of the franchises I love, back from the original one, so that one stays on the board. I do think the work that Double Fine is doing and how Tim (Schafer) kind of solicits feedback from the team [is great]. And the other one I’ll say, because I was recently out at Rare, it’s nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they’re making.
It has been a while. We’ve been able to give those teams time in what they’re doing, which is good, and still have a portfolio like we have, which is a dream that Matt [Booty] and I have had for a long time, so it’s finally good to be there. We can give those teams time. Next week, I’m gonna be up in Vancouver with The Coalition.
Everwild was announced over five years ago, before COVID-19, during the X019 event. Over the years, though, it became clear that Rare didn’t really have a clear picture of what they were doing yet. Development was reportedly rebooted in 2021 due to the game being ‘a real mess’.
A few months ago, Windows Central’s Jez Corden – who’s always well-informed on what’s going internally at Xbox Game Studios – said the game had finally nailed the gameplay loop. The new statement from Spencer confirms this is true, so people can start looking forward to a reveal in the foreseeable future. Indeed, the British studio had already kind of teased its fans with a nice Everwild themed Christmas card.
At any rate, the game may be shown again during the upcoming June Showcase, but don’t expect it to launch this year. Microsoft already has a big lineup for 2025: following Avowed (out tomorrow, although Premium Edition owners can already play it), Compulsion Games is set to release South of Midnight next month, then id Software will follow with DOOM: The Dark Ages in May, and Fable supposedly in the final quarter of the year. That’s not even counting Ninja Gaiden 4 (which is being published by Xbox Game Studios), the rumored launch of Gears of War: E-Day, and new stuff from Activision Blizzard, like the upcoming Call of Duty.
Everwild may instead be part of the 2026 lineup alongside Clockwork Revolution, Perfect Dark, and the next game from Double Fine, ensuring yet another potentially great year for Microsoft as a publisher. Indeed, it seems like all the money spent on acquisitions is finally paying off now that the developers have hit their stride as part of the Xbox family.
