Summary
Orideveloper Moon Studios has raised concerns about its future following mixed early access reviews of its latest game,No Rest for the Wicked. Despite Moon Studios' pedigree,No Rest for the Wicked’scurrent player reception on Steam has triggered a stark warning from founder Thomas Mahler.
Moon Studios garnered loads of acclaim during the Xbox One generation with 2015’sOri and the Blind Forestand 2020’sOri and the Will of the Wisps, thanks to the excellent art direction, music, and gameplay of both games. The studio’s newest title,No Rest for the Wicked, launched last year as its first foray into action RPG territory.No Rest for the Wickedis available only in Steam Early Accessfor now, but recent events shook some confidence in both the game and Moon Studios.
No Rest for the Wickedhad “Mixed” reviews on Steam recently, with players citing theaction RPG’s high difficulty, certain opaque mechanics, and grind-heavy progression as key frustrations. In response to the reception, Moon Studios head Thomas Mahler remarked onNo Rest for the Wicked’s Discord server that continued negative reviews could jeopardize not only the game’s chances of a full release, but also the studio’s existence. “If you want to see us actually finish [No Rest for the Wicked], it’s detrimental that we get that review score back up,” Mahler said, adding thatreview bombing might lead to Moon Studios' closure within months.
Moon Studios Founder Believes No Rest for the Wicked’s Negative Reviews May Be Politically Motivated
Mahler laterclarified on Twitterthat Moon Studios is in “no immediate financial danger” and said his comments were intended to push back against what he described as politically motivated reviews. Still, his prior Discord post acknowledged that the early access model can be damaging if player expectations aren’t met. “We had to take enormous risks to buy the publishing rights back,” Mahler said, referencingMoon Studios acquiring full control ofNo Rest for the Wickedfrom prior publisher Take-Two Interactive earlier this year. He added that players are posting negative reviews forNo Rest of the Wickedas a form of feedback, which ends up doing more harm than good and isn’t necessary as Moon Studios closely monitors feedback anyway.
After these events transpired yesterday, NoRest for the Wicked’soverall Steam rating has increased to “Mostly Positive,” with over 6,900 recent reviews adding up to a total of more than 34,400, clearly indicating that Mahler’s comments encouraged fans to post positive impressions of the game. Last month,No Rest for the Wickedalso received its largest updatesince release, dubbed The Breach, which nearly doubled the size of the game’s world and introduced over 11,000 changes.
