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Ori and the Blind Forest devs decided not to go with Microsoft for its new ARPG as PlayStation players always begged for the Metroidvania

Moon Studios, developer of Ori and the Blind Forest, has partnered with Private Division to release its new ARPG, No Rest for the Wicked, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, embracing cross-platform play and accessibility.

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The developer of Ori and the Blind Forest decided against releasing its new ARPG with Microsoft, as PlayStation players always begged for its Metroidvania.

On April 30, Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler announced that the developer was teaming up with publisher Private Division to release its new game, No Rest for the Wicked. Previously, the studio partnered with Microsoft to release Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, so the two Metroidvanias were initially limited to just Xbox consoles and PC before later releasing on Nintendo Switch.

"I’d just like to send a big THANK YOU! to Private Division who we’ve partnered with after we decided not to move forward with Microsoft for @wickedgame!" the Mahler shares. "We always knew we wanted to make an ARPG people could access on every platform with us fully supporting cross-play, etc. and we’re hugely appreciative that Private Division understood our vision, believed in us and 'let us cook.'" 

I’d just like to send a big THANK YOU! to @PrivateDivision who we’ve partnered with after we decided not to move forward with Microsoft for @wickedgame! 👍❤️We always knew we wanted to make an ARPG people could access on every platform with us fully supporting Crossplay, etc.…April 30, 2024

Fans are mostly positive about Moon Studios' new partnership, with one saying that it "makes sense" not to limit the upcoming action RPG to just one platform due to cross-play. "Yep - we had this big vision from the start and we already had a ton of PlayStation fans begging for ports of Ori even back then," Mahler replies. 

"It was clear to us that since Wicked was to become a multiplayer game, we wouldn’t want to be locked onto a single platform especially since we knew our competitors wouldn’t be either." 

Yep - we had this big vision from the start and we already had a ton of PlayStation fans begging for ports of Ori even back then 👍So it was clear to us that since Wicked was to become a Multiplayer game, we wouldn’t want to be locked onto a single platform especially since we…April 30, 2024

"That’s why I love Phil’s [Spencer's] current direction reg Xbox," the developer continues. "If we would’ve signed Wicked with Xbox back then, it would’ve become an Xbox exclusive. I think Xbox is more open now to support all games on all platforms and frankly, that’s something I’d love Sony to adopt as well." Mahler ends the tweet with "If we want to see our industry grow, we have to stop gatekeeping and make the access to entry as simple and affordable as possible to everyone."

Earlier this year, Mahler revealed that Ori and the Blind Forest has sold around 10 million copies which "probably makes it the most successful Metroidvania ever made," but its developer could've gone bankrupt.

No Rest for the Wicked is currently available via Early Access on Steam, but its full release will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. 

*Find out what else is on the horizon with our new games 2024 list. *