Key Takeaways
1. Gregg Mayles has left Rare after 36 years, reflecting on his journey through a poetic farewell titled “A Rather Resplendent Rewarding Rare Ramble.”
2. Mayles contributed to 30 games, including iconic titles like Banjo-Kazooie, Battletoads, and Sea of Thieves, playing a significant role in Rare’s success during the Nintendo 64 era.
3. His departure comes at a challenging time for Rare, especially following Microsoft’s acquisition in 2002 and the recent cancellation of the ambitious project Everwild.
4. Sea of Thieves, directed by Mayles, remains Rare’s biggest success, with over 40 million players, despite the studio facing difficulties with other titles and projects.
5. Reports suggest that the troubled development and cancellation of Everwild may have influenced Mayles’ decision to leave, although he did not comment on this in his farewell message.
Gregg Mayles, the creative mind behind Banjo-Kazooie, has said goodbye to Rare after an impressive 36 years with the renowned British game studio.
Having joined Rare in 1989 right after finishing high school, Mayles shared his departure on X in an artistic manner, calling it “A Rather Resplendent Rewarding Rare Ramble.” This title cleverly nods to the playful rhymes that made Banjo-Kazooie memorable.
Reflecting on His Journey
The poem reflects on his experiences, starting from ignoring a banking career to dive into game design. He highlights his work on popular titles like Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong Racing, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Viva Piñata, and Sea of Thieves, while also expressing his appreciation for fans and coworkers.
He concluded his message with a heartfelt farewell: “Now time to start new tales to tell, Farewell to Rare, he waves, farewell!”
A Legacy at Rare
Throughout his career, Mayles contributed to 30 games, playing a key role in Rare’s prime era during the Nintendo 64 days. He was part of classics like the 1998 platformer Banjo-Kazooie, which sold over 3.6 million copies globally and led to sequels such as Banjo-Tooie in 2000.
Additionally, he worked on many cherished games, including the 1994 beat ’em up Battletoads, the Donkey Kong franchise starting with Donkey Kong Country in 1994, the 2003 Xbox horror-comedy Grabbed by the Ghoulies, the life simulation game Viva Piñata in 2006, and most recently, he directed the popular multiplayer pirate adventure, Sea of Thieves, which came out in 2018 and has gathered more than 40 million players across all platforms.
Challenges for Rare
This news arrives during a challenging time for Rare, especially after Microsoft’s acquisition of the studio in 2002 for $375 million, which led to a shift from Nintendo to Xbox. While Sea of Thieves is Rare’s biggest success, the studio has encountered various difficulties over the years, including the 2013 release of Kinect Sports.
Notably, the ambitious open-world adventure Everwild was under Mayles’ supervision. Announced in 2019, it had been in the works for more than five years.
Unfortunately, Microsoft canceled Everwild in July 2025 amid significant layoffs that impacted around 9,000 employees across the company. This also included budget cuts at Rare and the cancellation of The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot, which was linked to Rare’s heritage.
Reports indicate that the cancellation of Everwild, after nearly ten years of troubled development and various overhauls, may have played a role in Mayles’ choice to depart from Rare. However, he didn’t elaborate on this in his post on X.
Source:
Link
Leave a Reply