Banjo-Kazooie director Gregg Mayles confirms he's left Rare

"Gregg Mayles, the director of Sea of Thieves and designer on Donkey Kong Country, has announced that he's left Rare. News of Mayles' exit was first reported in July 2025 during a rash of layoffs and game cancellations across Xbox Games Studios, but the short poem he today makes it official. With a 36-year tenure at the studio, Mayles saw its transition from an exclusive Nintendo partner to a Microsoft subsidiary."

"The studio has been supporting Sea of Thieves with new content since it was released in 2018, but was also working on a new project, Everwild, that was announced in 2019. The game went through a troubled development process over the last few years, and Rare reportedly started from scratch in 2021 with Mayles taking over as director. Microsoft's decision to cancel the game and layoff staff at the studio this summer is likely one of the reasons he left."

Gregg Mayles departed Rare after a 36-year career that included designing Battletoads, creating Banjo-Kazooie, and leading Sea of Thieves. Mayles became Rare's creative director when founders Tim and Chris Stamper left in 2007 and later directed Sea of Thieves. Rare continued to support Sea of Thieves since 2018 while developing Everwild, announced in 2019. Everwild experienced a troubled development, reportedly restarting in 2021 with Mayles as director before Microsoft canceled the project and laid off studio staff. Microsoft also cut roles at other studios and raised Xbox and Game Pass prices amid a strategic pivot toward subscriptions and publishing.

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