The creator of Banjo-Kazooie and Sea Of Thieves has officially left Rare, as fans hope for a switch to Playtonic Games.
Following rumours in July, one of Rare’s most celebrated designers, Gregg Mayles, has officially left the studio after 36 years.
In a post on X on Tuesday, October 14, Mayles announced it was his last day at the UK-based studio and wrote ‘one final rhyme’ to mark the occasion.
‘Thanks to everyone who played and enjoyed any of the games I helped create while I was there,’ Mayles wrote. ‘Also, thanks to all the people that worked on the games alongside me. It seemed fitting that I should say farewell with one final rhyme!’
Mayles joined Rare in 1989 and was one of the studio’s longest-serving members. He’s best known as the creator of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, but he’s helmed a number of the developer’s biggest hits, including Sea Of Thieves and Viva Piñata.
The designer made several other games during his tenure , including 1994’s Donkey Kong Country and its sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest. His other credits include Battletoads and 2003 Xbox exclusive Grabbed By The Ghoulies.
While not mentioned in his post, Mayles’ departure comes after a troubling time at the studio. His next game, Everwild, was recently cancelled by Microsoft, as part of layoffs across various Xbox studios.
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Louise O’Connor, an executive producer on Everwild, recently left Rare as well, for a Chief Of Staff role within Xbox Game Studios. This comes after former Rare boss Craig Duncan made a similar switch to head of Xbox Game Studios in October last year.
It’s unclear if Mayles, 54, will follow a similar trajectory, but some fans are hoping he might join Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games, a studio comprised of former Rare veterans, including his brother Steve Mayles.
‘Onto @PlaytonicGames I hope?’ one commenter wrote in response to the post.
David Wise, who composed the score for Donkey Kong Country, described it as the ‘end of an era’ on X. ‘The absolute legend of gaming past says his last farewell to Rare. Looking forward to what comes next, and hopefully the rebirth of some new gaming classics to be.’
Rare has been a shadow of its former self for some time, having not released a new game since 2018’s Sea Of Thieves, but with Microsoft being particularly cutthroat when it comes to shutting down studios, there’s concern about what this means for Rare as a whole.
‘What exactly is the future of Rare or is it just a [games as a service] support studio now?’ one fan quizzed on X, in response to the news. ‘Is one of the most creative studios now boxed into a corner?’
Another added: ‘Everyone is only gonna focus on the Banjo part… But it’s kinda funny with everything else going on with Xbox, the director of Sea Of Thieves, one of the only big games people still care about, is leaving.’
‘Rare just lost a giant of its dwindling legacy staff,’ another wrote.
Mayles hasn’t explained the circumstances around his departure, but with the cancellation of Everwild, it’s hard not to be concerned for one of gaming’s most historic studios.
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