Moon Studios’ Upcoming Action RPG Will be a “Make or Break Moment” for the Developer, Director Says

Moon Studios established itself as one of the best developers of Metroidvania games with Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, but with its next project, the indie developer is turning its gaze to something new and different. It’s been known for a while that Moon Studios is working on a new action RPG, with Private Division set to publish the game, and according to creative director Thomas Mahler, the title is going to be a “make or break moment” for the studio.

Mahler has been talking up the unannounced action RPG on his Twitter profile of late, and spoke about the game once again, issuing a challenge to genre giants like Diablo and Pillars of Eternity. “Either we manage to revolutionize the ARPG genre or we’ll slowly fade away into the distance,” he wrote. “While that should be scary, I love the challenge! Diablo, PoE, etc.: We’ve coming for you, may the best one win!”

In a couple of follow-up tweets, Mahler went on to offer a few more tidbits on the game, confirming that it will be played from a top-down perspective, and that the focus will be on a fresh and engaging combat system rather than granular systems surrounding loot.

Interestingly, reports have claimed that Moon Studios has hit several hurdles behind the scenes, with former employees having spoken about alleged issues with toxicity and an oppressive work culture at the studio. It’s been claimed that Ori publisher Microsoft was aware of these issues, and hence chose to not publish the developer’s next title.

Our next project is going to be a make-or-break moment for Moon:

Either we manage to revolutionize the ARPG genre or we'll slowly fade away into the distance.

While that should be scary, I LOVE the challenge! Diablo, PoE, etc.: We're coming for you, may the best one win! 😀

— thomasmahler (@thomasmahler) February 22, 2023

I very much agree. Finding the right loot is fun, but it shouldn't just be all about getting some gear or skill that's 0.1% better than your current.

That's why you don't wanna be stuck with outdated combat systems 😉

— thomasmahler (@thomasmahler) February 23, 2023

Top-Down!

— thomasmahler (@thomasmahler) February 22, 2023