As Xbox's Ori franchise turns 10, developer Moon Studios is now self-publishing its action-RPG, No Rest for the Wicked

warrior in sunlight in No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest for the Wicked is available in early access, and it's now published by Moon Studios. (Image credit: Moon Studios)

Developer Moon Studios is now self-publishing its action role-playing game, No Rest for the Wicked. The team shared the news on Tuesday, revealing that the company had been in negotiations with Take-Two Interactive for months about buying back the game's publishing rights.

No Rest for the Wicked was originally published in early access by Private Division, Take-Two Interactive's former game publishing label that focused on working with independent studios.

Private Division also acquired or founded some internal game development teams, including buying developer Roll7, which released Rollerdrome in 2022.

Private Division was gutted in a series of layoffs that saw internal developer Roll7 closed, while the label was sold to a company founded by former Annapurna staff.

Most of Private Division's existing projects were included in the sale, but notably, No Rest for the Wicked was kept by Take-Two Interactive, leading to the aforementioned negotiations.

No Rest for the Wicked - Official Game Overview of The Breach | Wicked Inside Showcase 2 - YouTube No Rest for the Wicked - Official Game Overview of The Breach | Wicked Inside Showcase 2 - YouTube
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Alongside the announcement of Moon Studios now self-publishing No Rest for the Wicked, the developers outlined a new update for the game called The Breach.

This update is the "biggest content update we have ever shipped," according to Moon Studios co-founder Gennadiy Korol. The Breach adds new locations to explore, enemies to fight, and bosses to overcome.

While The Breach adds a ton of new things to the game, the developers note that players will need to replay No Rest for the Wicked in order to access these additions, with older saves locked off due to the scope of the changes in play.

Looking ahead, the developers are working on adding co-op to the game, which will allow up to four players to experience No Rest for the Wicked together.

Finally, Moon Studios revealed that it is once again teaming up with composer Gareth Coker, who is working on new music themed around the game's story and characters.

Our executive editor Jez Corden first previewed No Rest for the Wicked when it was launching into early access, and he came away incredibly impressed with what the team was doing.

No Rest for the Wicked is currently available in early access on Windows PC via Steam, with Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 versions planned for when the game exits early access.

Ori and the Blind Forest turns a decade old

Ori and the Blind Forest was acclaimed for its art direction and gameplay. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Coincidentally, this news comes at the same time as the 10th anniversary of Moon Studios' first game, Ori and the Blind Forest, which is directly owned and published by Xbox.

First released on Xbox One and Windows PC back on March 11, 2025 before being ported to Nintendo Switch years later, Ori and the Blind Forest was widely praised for its gorgeous art direction and amazing soundtrack.

A sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, launched in 2020, receiving a free Xbox Series X|S enhancement that brought support for playing at 120 FPS.

Both Ori titles are some of my favorite experiences in gaming, telling incredible stories and delivering amazing narratives with nary a word of dialogue. A couple of years ago, I was able to interview Gareth Coker, discussing his work on the soundtracks for the Ori games.

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Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

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