Creator of touching hit with average of 90/100 on Metacritic doesn't think there's another studio that could handle developing third installment of Ori series

Microsoft would like another 3D platformer from Moon Studios, but action RPG No Rest for the Wicked remains a priority for the developer.

Jacob Blazewicz

Source: Moon Studios.

Microsoft was supposed to contact Moon Studios regarding the creation of a sequel to Ori and the Will of The Wisps, however, the developers have doubts about the project.

Thomas Mahler and his team are currently busy with a completely different title, although even this one has to wait for a "monumental" update after a long period of silence. The head of Moon Studios confirmed in response to questions about the continuation of Ori that although No Rest for The Wicked remains a priority for the developer, a few days ago he had a "call" from Microsoft about creating another 3D platformer (via Reddit).

Ori for Moon Studios is like Dark Souls for FromSoftware

Mahler compared the situation of Moon Studios to FromSoftware in the context of fans' expectations towards the developer. Just as the "whole world" wants more Dark Souls from Hidetaki Miyazaki's team, many players would want another Ori, even though the devs of both brands rather may be fed up with working on them after more than 10 years.

However, it should be mentioned that Blind Forest was also not supposed to receive a sequel, and only under the influence of fans Moon Studios got down to work on Ori's second adventure. By April 2024, Mahler already had "several ideas" for the third installment, and even a title. However, even this last one would still cause problems. Mahler would likely have avoided the publisher's objections regarding the abbreviation, similar to the situation with NRFTW, which seemingly triggered negative associations among Private Division's marketing team.

Story with another studio and problems with 3D

Even before these posts, Mahler was asked about the possibility of continuing the series with the help of another studio, but both fans and the developer himself have doubts about such an idea. The Austrian indicated that the biggest problem with entrusting the Ori series to another developer would be the issue of writing a good plot.

As Mahler stated, the new game could easily borrow a lot from the mechanics of Will of the Wisps and only expand them in the form of a classic sequel offering "more of the same." The level designs would cause more trouble if the "Ori 3" was to match the previous installments. However, Mahler is mainly concerned about whether it would be possible to find the "perfect studio" to continue Ori's story. Especially in the context of ending WotW.

The developer also mentioned an intriguing concept: several members of the Moon Studios team were thinking about a full Ori prototype in 3D. However, Mahler opposed these plans, not out of fear of the reactions from more fanatical fans, but out of concern for the years needed to perfect the work of the camera in three dimensions.

He also confirmed that the studio has already launched No Rest for the Wicked on PS5 (which suggests that the console debut is not as far off as fans thought), and new types of weapons are on the way. At the moment, the team is concentrating on refining new content for the upcoming The Breach update, along with mechanics and fixes, including the Plague system. Mahler mentioned problems with his workstation ("never again Intel CPU") and the lack of plans for official mod support (although Mahler knows that fans will find a way to mod the game).

No Rest for the Wicked

April 18, 2024

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Jacob Blazewicz

Author: Jacob Blazewicz

Graduated with a master's degree in Polish Studies from the University of Warsaw with a thesis dedicated to this very subject. Started his adventure with gamepressure.com in 2015, writing in the Newsroom and later also in the film and technology sections (also contributed to the Encyclopedia). Interested in video games (and not only video games) for years. He began with platform games and, to this day, remains a big fan of them (including Metroidvania). Also shows interest in card games (including paper), fighting games, soulslikes, and basically everything about games as such. Marvels at pixelated characters from games dating back to the time of the Game Boy (if not older).