The cancellation of Everwild was one of the most serious blows of Microsoft's recent internal restructuring. Among those affected was Executive Producer Louise O'Connor, who had been with the game since its early concepts 10 years ago. She has now been appointed Head of Staff at Xbox Game Studios.
O'Connor, who worked at Rare for about 25 years, stood out as Head of Animation and Head of the Incubation Department, making a significant contribution to the British studio's creative identity. Her first notable role was as an artist and animator on Conker's Bad Fur Day on Nintendo 64, a 2001 game.
Despite the cancellation of Everwild, O'Connor's career continued. In her new role as Head of Staff, she will coordinate and support various internal Xbox Game Studios teams. Interestingly, she will once again be working under Craig Duncan, her boss at Rare for 13 years, who now heads Xbox Game Studios.
For O'Connor, this is a new beginning, but not everyone was so lucky. Gregg Mayles, a key game designer at Rare, left the studio after more than 35 years. The author of games such as Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Piñata and many others, his departure marks the end of an era for Rare, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
