Moon Studios says it could close its doors (or almost) following the review bombing of No Rest for the Wicked

It was in April 2024 that Moon Studios, the Austrian studio known for the excellent Ori IP, released No Rest of the Wicked in early access. Since then, this punishingly difficult action-RPG has blown hot and cold.

Most recently, the game received mixed ratings on Steam, mainly due to the launch of the The Breach update, which led to performance issues and loss of progress. On Discord, Thomas Mahler, the studio’s founder, spoke of review bombing that could have real consequences for his company.

"I think people think I’m joking when I’m asking for positive reviews cause in peoples minds there’s always some big publisher in the background who’ll cover costs…"

"Folks, if you’re writing here and are enjoying Wicked and are excited for future updates, but haven’t left a positive review, it’s entirely possible that we won’t be around in a couple of months to do anything anymore simply because we got review bombed which leads to people not buying the game. Which means we’re not making any money and will have to shut down."

"I wouldn’t ask if our business wouldn’t be dependent on it. I also never write reviews on anything, but if you want to see us actually finish Wicked, it’s detrimental that we get that review score back up."

Quite the alarming statements, taking into account that the reviews are "Mostly Positive" on Steam. What’s more, Mahler has taken it down a notch, explaining that Moon Studios "isn’t threatened on a financial level".