'No Rest for the Wicked is like our Lord of the Rings,' Moon Studios boss says: 'We won't be making Ori 3 anytime soon'

No Rest for the Wicked Steam early access screenshots

(Image credit: Tyler C. / Moon Studios)

If you're holding out hope that Moon Studios will quickly wrap things up with the action RPG No Rest for the Wicked and get on with making a third Ori game, studio CEO Thomas Mahler has some bad news. The new game "is our Magnus Opus," Mahler said on Twitter, and Moon is going to be working on it for a very long time to come.

Mahler made the statement in response to queries from fans, some of whom apparently think (or maybe hope) that Moon Studios will be finished with No Rest for the Wicked once it hits a 1.0 release.

"Folks, we're nowhere near done with No Rest for the Wicked," Mahler wrote (via VG247). "There is so much that we've already built that none of you even know about and we want to deliver this in a masterful way!"

Early access is "really just the beginning" for No Rest for the Wicked, he added, "and we already have plans laid out for what happens after 1.0."

No Rest for the Wicked got off to a bit of a bumpy start when it debuted on April 18, with an initial influx of complaints about performance issues, difficulty, and an overall lack of polish leading to a "mixed" user rating on Steam. It's bounced back to "mostly positive" since then, and Mahler said last week that the studio has no regrets about putting the game out before it was "finished," calling early access "one of the best decisions we could've made."

Judging by the questions I'm getting, it looks like some people think that we'll release 1.0 and then we're done? 🤔 Folks, we're nowhere near done with No Rest for the Wicked. There is so much that we've already built that none of you even know about and we want to deliver this in a masterful way! ❤️ This Early Access phase is really just the beginning for us and we already have plans laid out for what happens after 1.0. No Rest for the Wicked is like our Lord of the Rings. And to further use this analogy, what we've done so far is akin to doing a 'test screening' of the first bits. 1.0 will be our 'Fellowship of the Ring'. And as you all know, there's lots to come after that. So to be clear: We'll be working on No Rest for the Wicked for another 5-10 years. This is our Magnum Opus. We always had lofty ambitions and we said we're going to contribute in a huge way to the ARPG genre - and that is our intention 👍 — (Image credit: Thomas Mahler (Twitter))

Lest there be any doubts about Moon Studios' commitment to No Rest for the Wicked, Mahler described it as "like our Lord of the Rings," and described the current early access release as "akin to doing a 'test screening' of the first bits."

"1.0 will be our 'Fellowship of the Ring'," he wrote. "And as you all know, there's lots to come after that. So to be clear: We'll be working on No Rest for the Wicked for another 5-10 years."

As for a new Ori game, never say never and all that, but don't start holding your breath just yet.

Well, I hope now you folks understand why we won't be making Ori 3 any time soon! 🤣 — (Image credit: Thomas Mahler (Twitter))

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.