The video game industry keeps suffering incredible losses month after month. Xbox just confirmed that it will close four studios that were part of Bethesda. Due to this, No Rest for the Wicked’s CEO has commented on the unfortunate situation that has plagued these studios.
Thomas Mahler, the head of Moon Studios, the creators of both Ori games, posted on X explaining his decision to resist acquisition by a major company such as PlayStation. The studio is currently working on No Rest for the Wicked, a title that is on early access. The developer said that he witnessed the same thing in the 1990s.
The Xbox Decision Resonates in Every Corner of the Industry
Yesterday’s leaked internal email confirmed Xbox’s decision to close four Bethesda studios: Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Games. After this went public, it was the only subject talked about on social media. Many indie developers that are not part of major companies speak out their thoughts; one of them was Thomas Mahler from Moon Studios, the creators of Ori and No Rest for the Wicked.
Mahler wrote about this on X, mentioning the studio’s closure and justifying why he didn’t let a major studio like PlayStation acquire Moon Studios.
He also mentioned how this was not the first time that something like this happened; in the 1990s, Mahler lived through the same thing when EA began to acquire studios that years later shut down. This is a common industry practice; large companies expect unreasonable numbers.
Thomas Mahler, Director of No Rest for the Wicked, Was Not the Only One Who Had an Opinion About This Kind of Move From Companies Like Playstation
Romain Barrilliot, designer of Arkane Lyon, was not so happy with the way Mahler finished his take on the whole studio shut-down discussion; he said that using emojis was disrespectful.
This emoji seems very weirdly placed in a message like this; they were both like laughing faces, so Barrilliot has a point. He said that Mahler’s take seemed like “look how clever I am,” and he was not very happy about how a colleague rejoiced from this.
The Barrilliot post went viral, and many other users replied that Mahler’s intention was not bad. The head of Moon Studios even shared the company’s official mail for those affected to send their resumes. Barrilliot’s accusations were misguided, leading to the continuation of the discussion. In the end, this entire issue was generated by a major company that has expectations that make no sense.
When both Ori games were launched for Xbox, there were rumors about Moon Studios being acquired by Xbox; even fans were hoping that this happened. Lucky for them, the entire team decided not to go down that path, and the studio is working like an independent entity, making its own games and relying on player taste to make their project popular in sales. Many other studios work this way.
What are your thoughts about Mahler’s words? Let us know in the comments!
