Later in the month, Ori and the Blind Forest will be making its way to Nintendo’s hybrid system, the Switch. It’ll come just in time for the Switch Lite revision, perfect for those looking to game on the go. The game is one of several once-Xbox exclusives to make their way to Nintendo’s console- but how did it come to be? Well, it was all thanks to the developers and their desire to be on the system.
That probably sounds like a big ‘duh’ statement, but the original Ori was actually published by Microsoft, with them retaining some stake in the IP. Talking to MCV, Aaron Greenberg said that Moon Studios came to Microsoft with a desire to put the game on the Switch, and they allowed it because they understood the position, and because, despite working with them, Moon Studios is not actually owned by Microsoft.
“Ori is built by Moon Studios, which is an independent, external studio,” said Greenberg. “They came to us with a desire to bring the original Ori to the Switch. We thought that made sense, and we’re happy to work with them to enable them to bring that to Switch. We understand their desire to bring that game to Switch, and in this particular case we were happy to support them. And we think that makes sense for the original Ori.”
He does go on to shoot down the possibility a Switch version of the upcoming sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, but it sounds like the door is open down the line. Ori and the Blind Forest will launch for the Nintendo Switch on September 27th, with its sequel coming February 11th, 2020 for Xbox One and PC.
