Moon Studios, the studio behind Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel, has announced that it is now completely independent. The announcement was made during the second episode of the studio’s Wicked Inside Showcase, where it also showed off The Breach for Early Access title No Rest for the Wicked. Check out the video below.
Featuring Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol, the video gives us a brief overview of the history of Moon Studios, including talking about its time working under Take-Two Interactive’s indie publishing label Private Division.
“Our publisher for No Rest for the Wicked was Private Division, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive,” said Korol.
“Take-Two decided to sell off Private Division, which was unexpected news for us,” continued Mahler. “After some deliberation, we saw an opportunity.”
“After months of negotiations, we reached an agreement to buy the publishing rights for No Rest for the Wicked back, so that Moon Studios could become fully independent,” Korol explained. “This legal process took time, and we couldn’t say much while it was all happening.”
Mahler excitedly caps off the announcement by saying that “it’s all done and that Moon Studios is now fully independent.”
“We believe this will give you even more confidence in our vision, because we’re free to build No Rest for the Wicked exactly how we want, without needing to ever go silent again.”
The duo then go on to talk about the new feature for No Rest for the Wicked in the form of The Breach. Korol describes The Breach as the biggest content update for No Rest for the Wicked so far.
“We heard you loud and clear,” said Korol. “You wanted more out of our campaign. You wanted more story, more zones to play in, more enemies to fight, more bosses to test your mettle against. In short, more of everything. And that is exactly what we have been focusing on.”
With the update, the story of No Rest for the Wicked will pick up right where it left off, after Ellsworth returns to Sacrament. The relationship between Ellsworth and his daughter Odessa is also explored, with Ellsworth helping Odessa escape from her imprisonment.
The Breach will feature new zones for players to explore, and the developers have said that, with this update, the size of the game’s world is essentially being doubled. Among the zones are the Lowland Meadows, which will also feature new enemies.
The update will also brings with it new weapons in the form of Gauntlets and Wands. The Gauntlet even brings with it a host of pro-wrestling moves, like a suplex and a dropkick, along with its more fisticuffs-based moveset.
No Rest for the Wicked is available as an Early Access title on PC. Once it exits Early Access, the game is also slated for release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. In the meantime, check out our review of the game from back when it first came out. And check out details of other content that has been added to the game through free updates.