Everwild

Our world has a rhythm. We all sense it, but only a few truly feel it.^[src]

Launch trailer

Everwild is an upcoming nature-focused action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Xbox Game Studios for Windows and Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It was announced on November 13, 2019 with a reveal trailer at the X019 event in London,^[7] and a second trailer was released at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020.^[8]

The title is set in a natural and magical world^[9] filled with unusual creatures, in which a group of humans, called Eternals, are charged with watching over and nurturing all life.^[8]

Plot[]

Synopsis[]

Introducing Everwild, a brand new IP from Rare. Unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world.

Gameplay[]

As Everwild is in development with few details announced, descriptions of its gameplay vary. In 2020, the game was described to be a third-person adventure game with elements taken from god games, and more recent reports suggest that the game is set to have no combat whatsoever.^[1]

According to video game reporter Andy Robinson from VGC, Everwild will be more of a Viva Piñata-like game than a survival game the earlier trailers hinted at. He also stated he hasn't looked into it in a while, but if Gregg Mayles is taking the lead, then "you can be very confident it will turn out great".^[10]

Production[]

Development[]

Development began on Everwild around 2014, and it spent many years in experimental prototyping before being announced.^[1] In November 2019, Rare announced a new third-person action-adventure AAA game at Microsoft's XO19 event in London.^[7]

Video game journalist Jeff Grubb stated in a stream on June 12, 2021 that Everwild had been rebooted since its initial development and was "a ways off", scheduled for approximately 2023.^[11] A VGC report on June 14, 2021 corroborated that Everwild underwent a "complete reboot" in terms of senior leadership and design and direction after departure of creative director Simon Woodroffe,^[12] but stated that its planned release date had been pushed back to 2024 saying "Everwild's development team is now 'optimistically' targeting a 2024 release".^[1]

Leadership reportedly shifted to Louise O'Connor,^[2] a Rare veteran and art director, Ryan Stevenson.^[5] Lionhead veteran James Blackham also joined Rare specifically to work on the game as its lead designer.^[4]^[5] Gary Napper, who was previously the lead designer for Alien: Isolation, joined Rare as the design director for Everwild.^[3] There are around 25 publicly confirmed Everwild developers, although the current team is closer to 50 people with plans to grow to a much larger size.^[4]

Everwild promo 01 — *Everwild* is set to have a cel-shaded art style set in a vast wilderness

Studio head Craig Duncan mentioned that Rare had not discussed Everwild publicly because it is still "playing around with gameplay ideas", particularly on "building an experience that allows for new ways to play in a natural and magical world".^[1] The game was reportedly shaping up to be a "third-person adventure with god-game elements", but when leadership mandated that there be no combat in the game, complications begun to arise in the design.^[1]^[12] It is unclear how many of the aforementioned features—or lack thereof—will remain as development continues.^[9] One thing that is final is that Rare wants to create "a world that [players] can just lose themselves in", with a particular focus on nature.^[13] Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg stressed during an interview that the game will be "something really unique" and "something truly special".^[14]^[15] Blackham via his LinkedIn profile also claims "it's something the world doesn't have and hasn't seen before".^[16] A trademark filing in 2021 suggested that the game could have live service elements.^[17]

During an interview with Kinda Funny Games on October 20, 2021, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said that reports development on the game, those of which emphasized it had "reset", was "more definite and a little more extreme" than the truth, and suggested the challenges Rare has faced are a natural part of the creative process. Booty has also said that Rare's Everwild team wants to make sure it has "something special" before showing the game publicly again, as they "don't want to keep things hidden for too long".^[18]

Marketing[]

In July 2020, a trailer was released at the Xbox Games Showcase, revealing more of Everwild's magical world and peculiar creatures and introducing the player characters.^[8]

In September 2020, Rare released a director's commentary hosted by O'Connor and Stevenson, exhibiting some of the game's concept art and describing how many creatures and environments in the game are inspired by the real world, including creatures that rely on living within other creatures in order to survive; but with a "small [Everwild] twist" to ensure they fit in the game.^[19] The video also explains that the player characters are called 'Eternals', humanoids who have a special connection with the game's animals—one that is symbiotic^[8]—and their mission to protect the world of Everwild from a locust-like plague that threatens the land and the creatures within it.^[19]

Music[]

The music will be composed by Robin Beanland, who has created the soundtracks for games such as Killer Instinct, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jet Force Gemini, and Sea of Thieves.^[2]

Accessibility[]

The developers have declared that they will "tell Everwild's story in a way that's accessible to as many people as possible". As a first step in this commitment, they have been releasing audio description versions of the trailer videos, voiced by Everwild senior narrative designer, Kate Jarrett.^[20]