Moon Studios Goes Independent With No Rest For The Wicked

For the folks over at Moon Studios, No Rest for the Wicked isn’t just the name of their latest game—it’s their entire philosophy. The Ori developer has officially declared itself “fully independent” after wresting back publishing rights from Take-Two, meaning they now have full control over their own destiny.

Originally, No Rest for the Wicked launched into Steam Early Access in April 2024 under Private Division, Take-Two’s label for smaller devs. But then, in November 2024, Take-Two offloaded Private Division to an undisclosed buyer—along with nearly all of its games. Notice the “nearly.” No Rest for the Wicked wasn’t part of the deal, as Take-Two insisted it wanted to “continue to support” the game. Well, it turns out that “support” meant entirely handing it back to Moon Studios.

Now, free from corporate oversight, Moon is calling the shots.

“We have secured the publishing rights for No Rest for the Wicked, allowing us to execute our vision without restrictions.”

And what’s the first order of business as a newly liberated studio? A major update, of course. The Breach—touted as the game’s biggest update yet—drops on 30 April, bringing new areas, factions, weapons, enemies, and enough lore to double the size of the game world. And once that’s out, Moon isn’t stopping. The next major update will introduce four-player co-op, along with fresh tracks from Ori composer Gareth Coker, because nothing says “epic adventure” like a sweeping orchestral score.

For Moon Studios, this is the culmination of years of hard work. No Rest for the Wicked has been in the making for six years, with CEO and creative director Thomas Mahler saying the team had long dreamed of leaving their mark on the ARPG genre. Now, without a publisher looking over their shoulder, they can do exactly that—on their own terms.