6 years after Rare's survival game was announced, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says the long wait is because "we've been able to give those teams time in what they're doing"

After years of silence, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has finally given us an update on Everwild, the upcoming game from Sea of Thieves developer Rare.

Everwild is a game where you'll be able to befriend animals and interact with the world through them. At least, that's what it was about when it was announced back in 2019. The studio describes it as "an experience that allows for new ways to play in a natural and magical world." But we've not had any official update on the game in years. It was reportedly rebooted back in 2021.

Speaking on the Xbox Era podcast (spotted by VGC), Spencer gives us all a bit of hope about Everwild. "It's nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they're making," he says. "It has been [a while]. And 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. It's like a dream that Matt [Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios] and I have had for a long time, so it's finally good to be there. We can give those teams time."

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If there's a team worth giving time to, it's Rare. The studio made GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and has been working on Sea of Thieves for years.

The success of the team's live-service pirate game is likely what's affording it more time to work on Everwild. A money-earner like that should give them some breathing room to take the time to really flesh out Everwild and make it as good as it can be.

I'm not the biggest Sea of Thieves fan because I just don't find the progression in the game very engaging, which is a shame because I love pirates, so I'm excited for Everwild because I'd love to experience a new Rare game.

While we wait for more updates on Everwild, check out the best Xbox Series X games you can play right now instead.