Rare Legend QUITS After 35 Years – What’s Next After Sea of Thieves & Banjo-Kazooie?

Talk about the end of a golden age—Gregg Mayles, the mastermind behind classics like Banjo-Kazooie and the modern pirate favourite Sea of Thieves, is reportedly leaving Rare Game Studio after an eye-watering 35 years. You read that right—three and a half decades crafting some of the UK’s most iconic video games, and now the veteran creative director may be sailing away for good.

The report surfaced via Eurogamer, who spotted that Mayles had quietly scrubbed “Rare” from his X (formerly Twitter) bio. On top of that, his LinkedIn status confirms he’s now in a “career break.” Neither Mayles nor Xbox Game Studios has dropped an official statement as of now, but all signs point to a major departure that could leave big creative boots to fill.

The man behind the monkey (and the bear and bird)

If you’ve been gaming since the 90s, odds are Gregg Mayles had a hand in your childhood. He was crucial to some of Rare’s best-loved titles—he helped give us Donkey Kong Country, directed Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, and even worked on Viva Piñata, another bizarrely brilliant gem from Rare’s Xbox 360 era. We’re not just talking about another developer—this guy shaped the soul of the studio.

More recently, Mayles led the charge on Sea of Thieves, a wildly ambitious shared-world pirate adventure that had a rocky launch but has slowly morphed into one of the most loved (and still regularly updated) games on Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass. Whether it’s fighting off skeleton captains or chasing down another crew for their loot, Sea of Thieves’ whimsy and charm owe a lot to Mayles’ quirky, accessible design style.

Is Rare in trouble without him?

Now, with Gregg apparently gone, fans are left wondering—what happens next for Rare and Xbox Game Studios? The studio has been juggling a few projects, most notably the mysterious open-world eco-adventure Everwild. That game’s seen repeated delays, and now with the loss of one of its cornerstone creatives, uncertainty is creeping in like a fog across the Sea of Thieves itself.

But let’s be fair. While Mayles’ absence will be massively felt, the team at Rare isn’t exactly rudderless. Over the years, Rare has nurtured a strong stable of new talent trained under his leadership. We’ll likely see his design DNA echo through whatever comes next—even if he won’t be at the helm anymore.

So where’s Gregg going?

Right now? We’ve got zero clue. But “career break” can mean lots of things—from taking a breather after decades of crunch to pivoting towards indie development or even early retirement. One thing’s certain: if he decides to return to games, there are plenty of studios (and maybe one nostalgic bear and bird) that would welcome him back with open arms.

Some corners of the internet are already speculating that Mayles’ exit might re-open doors for Banjo-Kazooie to return—perhaps in the hands of another developer under Xbox’s increasingly open umbrella. After all, fans have been screaming for a remaster, remake, or full-blown reboot since forever. Now with one era closed, maybe another will finally open. Fingers firmly crossed.

Legacy of a legend

Whether you were jumping into barrels in Donkey Kong Country, puzzling your way through Gruntilda’s Lair, or singing sea shanties on a galleon in Sea of Thieves, Gregg Mayles has been part of your gaming journey—probably more than you realise. He bridged generations and platforms—from Super Nintendo to Xbox One and Xbox Series X. In a landscape where designers come and go, Mayles stuck around and left his fingerprints on everything he touched.

His reported departure isn’t the end of Rare’s story, surely—but it does feel like closing the book on a certain whimsical chapter of its history. The question now isn’t just “Where’s Gregg going?” but “Where will Rare steer next?” — and honestly, that’s just as exciting as it is unsettling.