Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios is now "fully independent" after "months of negotiation" with what’s left of Private Division.
The studio moved away from the titular white dog-spirit-thing to create a Diablo-esque action RPG – No Rest for the Wicked – which launched into early access last year. The game was published by 2K Games’ subsidiary Private Division, but after 2K sold the publishing arm (which resulted in the closure of Roll7 and Intercept Games), many were unsure about how things would pan out for the game, especially since the studio went silent for several months. However, it’s good news as Moon Studios has announced it’s now fully independent and has secured the publishing rights for No Rest for the Wicked.
In a brand new episode of the Wicked Inside Showcase, Moon Studios explained that the sale of Private Division spurred the studio to start "months of negotiation" to buy the rights to No Rest for the Wicked. And this isn’t an announcement of intent; Moon Studios’ co-founder Thomas Mahler confirmed that the deal is done and that the studio is now "fully independent."
However, the studio wasn’t just sitting on its hands while negotiations were going on, with co-founder Gennadiy Korol saying, "We’ve used this extra time to create something truly special," before introducing the game’s latest update, ‘The Breach.’ The new update – launching on April 30, 2025 – is set to bring pretty much more of everything to the game. New areas like the Lowland Meadows and Marin Woods, new weapon archetypes with Gauntlets and Wands, as well as some visual and performance upgrades.
However, it’s the refinements and emphasis on replayability that make the update more exciting, giving a ton of quality-of-life updates like being able to teleport directly to your house and an overhauled storage system. On top of that, there’s a new Hardcore mode to give those of you looking for a challenge a new reason to go back to the game.
Alongside the new split from Private Division, Moon Studios is getting back together with Ori and the Blind Forest composer Gareth Coker, who has contributed some new tunes to No Rest for the Wicked’s The Breach update.
Gareth Coker is also contributing music to Dotemu’s recently announced roguelike brawler Absolum, which is set to launch later this year.
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