Gregg Mayles, the director of Sea of Thieves and designer on Donkey Kong Nation, has introduced that he's left Uncommon. Information of Mayles' exit was first reported in July 2025 throughout a rash of layoffs and sport cancellations throughout Xbox Video games Studios, however the quick poem he shared on X at this time makes it official.
With a 36-year tenure on the studio, Mayles noticed its transition from an unique Nintendo associate to a Microsoft subsidiary. He helped design video games like Battletoads, created Banjo-Kazooie and when studio founders Tim and Chris Stamper left in 2007, stepped up and have become Uncommon's artistic director. Mayles additionally led the group behind Sea of Thieves, one among Uncommon's fashionable successes.
Right this moment was my final day at @RareLtd. Due to everybody who performed and loved any of the video games I helped create whereas I used to be there. Additionally because of all of the folks that labored on the video games alongside me. It appeared becoming that I ought to say farewell with one ultimate rhyme! pic.twitter.com/X54u8Bc2oI
— Gregg Mayles (@Ghoulyboy) October 14, 2025
The studio has been supporting Sea of Thieves with new content material because it was launched in 2018, however was additionally engaged on a brand new mission, Everwild, that was introduced in 2019. The sport went by a troubled growth course of over the previous couple of years, and Uncommon reportedly began from scratch in 2021 with Mayles taking on as director. Microsoft's choice to cancel the sport and layoff workers on the studio this summer season is probably going one of many causes he left.
Shedding Mayles is only one instance of Microsoft's self-inflicted wounds from 2025. The corporate not solely made cuts at Halo Studios and Forza Motorsport developer Flip 10, it additionally elevated the costs of each Xbox consoles and Sport Go Final. All of those modifications are seemingly in service of shifting the Xbox enterprise into one thing that's extra centered on subscriptions and sport publishing, however the transition positively looks like a painful one.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/banjo-kazooie-director-gregg-mayles-confirms-hes-left-rare-220828667.html?src=rss