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Gregg Mayles

{{short description|British video game designer (born 1971)}}

{{EngvarB|date=December 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{BLP sources|date=December 2015}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Gregg Mayles

| birth_date = 29 April 1971

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Video game designer

| employer = Rare

}}

Gregg Mayles (born 29 April 1971){{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Ghoulyboy/status/858214337244254208|title=Gregg Mayles on Twitter|access-date=30 April 2017}}{{Primary source inline|date=December 2017}} is a British video game designer currently working for video game company Rare as creative director. He is one of the longest-serving members of the company, having worked there since 1989.{{cite web|url=http://creativesocialblog.com/events/cs-sessions-gregg-mayles|title=CS Sessions – Gregg Mayles|date=10 March 2013|access-date=26 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815021406/http://creativesocialblog.com/events/cs-sessions-gregg-mayles|archive-date=15 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

Career

Mayles began his career as a designer of the Battletoads series and the Donkey Kong Country series, and was one of the creators of the characters Diddy Kong and King K. Rool. After his work on DKC, he came up with an idea about an action-adventure game influenced by his recent work on the series. The project was greenlit for release first on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and then on the Nintendo 64. Codenamed Project Dream, the game was to be about a boy who went on a magical adventure to a pirate island. The concept was scrapped, and the hero was changed to a bear based on one from Diddy Kong Racing with a backpack, with the latter inspired by Mayles' trip to Japan. This became the critically acclaimed Banjo-Kazooie series.{{cite web|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/rare-vintage-part-one |title=Rare Vintage: Part One – Edge Magazine |publisher=Next-gen.biz |access-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218030321/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/rare-vintage-part-one |archive-date=18 December 2010 }}

After the success of Banjo-Kazooie, Mayles did additional design on Donkey Kong 64, which was based on the concept of Mayles's project. Then, Mayles directed the long-awaited sequel, Banjo-Tooie, which was even more acclaimed than its predecessor. After Banjo-Tooie, Mayles did design on Conker's Bad Fur Day and Star Fox Adventures. Mayles directed the design of the 2003 game Grabbed by the Ghoulies, which was reviewed poorly by the press. The game's protagonist, Cooper, resembles Mayles himself. Then he worked on some other projects before playing a key role in creating the game Viva Piñata. It first came to life as an idea from Tim Stamper, and then it resulted in a full game influenced by the Animal Crossing and Story of Seasons series. It was released in 2006 and was well received. Mayles also took part in designing its sequel, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.

In 2006, Mayles decided to go back to his roots, and started a new Banjo-Kazooie project with a new feature: car building. It was announced at X06, and was titled Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.{{cite web|url=http://rarewarearchives.co.uk/view_feature.php?id=59&gameid=100 |title=Site Spiral Mountain talks with Gregg Mayles about new Banjo-Kazooie game. May 15, 2008 |publisher=Rarewarearchives.co.uk |access-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612210313/http://rarewarearchives.co.uk/view_feature.php?id=59&gameid=100 |archive-date=12 June 2011 }} The game was released in 2008. After Nuts & Bolts, Mayles did work on the Xbox 360 version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and on Kinect Sports. Mayles also served as the creative director for 2018's Sea of Thieves;{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-06-16-sea-of-thieves-is-not-free-to-play-rare-confirms|title=Sea of Thieves is not free-to-play, Rare confirms|date=16 June 2016|publisher=Eurogamer}} one of the in-game songs is named in his honour.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shanty Selects, Vol. 1 |year=2020 |url=https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Shanty_Selects_Vol_1_Original_Game_Soundtrack?id=Bbzooppeeliqnekxdqhuaa4lkwu |publisher=Microsoft}}{{cite AV media | date=18 June 2016 | title=E3 2016: "Grogg Mayles" Sea of Thieves Live Performance | medium=Motion picture | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kU27giiEs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/c2kU27giiEs |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}{{Better source needed|reason=Could do with a few things including a reliable source confirming that the "Grogg Mayles" lyrics are official (I can only find wiki pages).|date=June 2020}}

In 2007, Tim and Chris Stamper left Rare to "pursue other opportunities", and Mark Betteridge along with Mayles replaced them as studio director and creative director, respectively.[http://xbox.kombo.com/article.php?artid=7150 Rare Co-Founders Part Ways. January 2, 2007.]{{dead link|date=July 2011}} Mayles also donates money for poor children. He started a "Very Purple Marathon" in April 2009. The marathon was supported by Rare itself, donating 2,110 euros.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} His younger brother is video game artist Steve Mayles, who also worked at Rare from 1992 to 2014. His nephew, who was born in 2006, is named Leo Mayles.

Works

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Year

!scope="col"|Title

!scope="col"|Platform(s)

!scope="col"|Director

!scope="col"|Designer

!scope="col"|Other

!scope="col"|Notes

1990

!scope=row|Solar Jetman

| rowspan="2"|NES

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

| Critical feedback

1991

!scope=row|Battletoads

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

rowspan="2"|1994

!scope=row|Battletoads Arcade

|Arcade

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

scope=row|Donkey Kong Country

| rowspan="3"|SNES

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

1995

!scope=row|Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{yes}}

| Also producer

1996

!scope=row|Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

| Special thanks

1998

!scope=row|Banjo-Kazooie

| rowspan="4"|N64

|{{yes}}

|{{yes|Lead}}

|{{yes}}

| Also "chief of ideas" and project leader

1999

!scope=row|Donkey Kong 64

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|Support

2000

!scope=row|Banjo-Tooie

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

| Credited as part of "The Banjo-Tooie Team"

2001

!scope=row|Conker's Bad Fur Day

|{{no}}

|{{partial|Add.}}

|{{no}}

2002

!scope=row|Star Fox Adventures

|GameCube

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|Special thanks: Rare

rowspan="2"|2003

!scope=row|Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

|GBA

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|Special thanks

scope=row|Grabbed by the Ghoulies

|Xbox

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2004

!scope=row|Sabre Wulf

|rowspan="2"|GBA

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|rowspan="2"|Original concept

rowspan="3"|2005

!scope=row|It's Mr. Pants!

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

scope=row|Perfect Dark Zero

|rowspan="5"|Xbox 360

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|rowspan="2"|Rare management

scope=row|Kameo

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

2006

!scope=row|Viva Piñata

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2007

!scope=row|Jetpac Refuelled

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|rowspan="3"|Rare management

rowspan="3"|2008

!scope=row|Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

scope=row|Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise

|Nintendo DS

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

scope=row|Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

|rowspan="4"|Xbox 360

|{{yes}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

| Credited for "Daft Ideas and Vehicle Gluing"

rowspan=2"|2010

!scope=row|Kinect Sports

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

scope=row|Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|rowspan="2"|Special thanks

2012

!scope=row|Fable: The Journey

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

2014

!scope=row|Kinect Sports Rivals

|Xbox One

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2018

!scope=row|Sea of Thieves

|Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Series X/S

|{{yes}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

|Credited as Grogg Mayles

2019

!scope=row|Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

|Switch

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|Original Game Supervisors: Rare Ltd. (Banjo-Kazooie Fighters Pass DLC)

2020

!scope=row|Battletoads

|Xbox One, Windows

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|Special thanks

TBA

!scope=row|Everwild

|Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

|{{no}}

|In development

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Twitter|Ghoulyboy}}
  • [http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,51913/ Gregg Mayles] on MobyGames
  • {{IMDb name|0562709}}
  • [http://www.giantbomb.com/gregg-mayles/3040-50657/ Gregg Mayles] on Giant Bomb
  • [http://www.justgiving.com/averypurplemarathon/1 A Very Purple Marathon's site]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717032512/http://www.therwp.com/wiki/Gregg_Mayles Mayles's article at Rare Witch Project Wiki]

=Interviews=

  • [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/188055/interviews/banjo-kazooie-nuts-and-bolts-qa/ B-K: Nuts and Bolts: Q&A from Gregg Mayles.]
  • [http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54914 Mayles comments on Ensemble Studio's closure and Peter Moore's accusation on Rare as outdated company.]
  • [https://archive.today/20130115041636/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/building-your-own-banjo Article "Building Your Own Banjo".]

{{Rare}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayles, Gregg}}

Category:Year of birth unknown

Category:British video game designers

Category:Rare (company) people

Category:Nintendo people

Category:British video game businesspeople

Category:Living people

Category:Banjo-Kazooie

Category:People from Coalville

Category:British video game directors

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Creative directors