Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler says rumors of a new Ori title are “nonsense” on Twitter. This follows recent reports that Xbox’s alleged sequel announcement – which may or may not be at Gamescom – would be Ori 3.
In a follow-up, Mahler said that a third title was “Not up to us, we’d do it in a heartbeat if we’d get the go-ahead!” When told that insider NateTheHate’s sources were “more accurate,” he added, “I just talked to people at Microsoft – but sure, you’d know better.”
Among the rumors circulating about a new Ori title is that it’s allegedly developed by, of all studios, Saber Interactive. The individual in question claimed it could be announced at Gamescom or a new Xbox Developer_Direct this Fall. NateTheHate later affirmed he was talking about the same, though he remained unsure if it would be at this week’s trade fair. Saber also wasn’t mentioned as the developer.
The last title in the series, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, launched in 2020 for Xbox One and PC before coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S later in the year. It received extensive critical acclaim and racked up more than 2.8 million players by November 2020. However, Moon Studios would be mired in controversy after a report claiming a toxic work culture, with co-founders Mahler and Gennadiy Korol accused of sexism, bullying, and more.
The developer is currently working on No Rest for the Wicked, with its 1.0 release out in October. It’s also slated to launch for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S, though a launch date has yet to be announced.
