Both Microsoft and console wars are stifling innovation, according to the founder of Moon Studios, which developed the Ori video game series. 2D Metroidvania platform video games are featured in both Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Despite the studio’s previous hopes that Ori would appear in Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, due out in 2020, appears to be the final game to feature the titular character.
Thomas Mahler, the CEO of Moon Studios, has previously expressed his thoughts on the gaming industry. Ori’s creator, in a now-viral rant on ResetEra in February, lambasted the practice of developers making lofty claims about their games’ quality and performance, only to fall short in the end. Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky were two of the games he referred to in his rant.
Mahler’s tirade revealed an interesting perspective: big-name developers who generate and encourage hype for unreleased games are often forgiven for their games not living up to their perceived potential. Understandably, indie studios feel aggrieved by this, even if their games are hailed as masterpieces by critics. The Ori developer later apologized and recanted his remarks, which he made after his outburst.
Thomas Mahler has made headlines once more, this time for a post on ResetEra in which he laments Microsoft’s exclusivity and the console wars for the missed opportunity for innovation. EXputer reports that Mahler’s post is a response to an interview that Microsoft’s Phil Spencer gave to Axios regarding Bungie’s departure from the company. Microsoft could have held on to Bungie today, according to Moon Studios’ founder, but he thinks Bungie left because it wanted to develop games for a non-exclusive platform.
Even though Microsoft has a vision of a future in gaming where “there are no boundaries or artificial walls,” the tech giant is “not necessarily acting accordingly,” according to Mahler. “The title was small enough to not cause any fuss,” says Mahler, who thinks that Microsoft allowed Moon Studios to port Ori and the Will of the Wisps to Nintendo’s Switch.
Moon Studios chose to work with Private Division instead of Microsoft because of this, according to Ori developer Mahler in a blog post. As a result of the game being funded by Microsoft, a competitor of Sony, Ori’s fans had expressed their disappointment to him. Microsoft appears to be open to a joint ecosystem, as evidenced by its support for the PC market and its Game Pass service. Mahler, on the other hand, wants to see Microsoft fully embrace its vision.
The Xbox Game Pass may be coming to Nintendo’s Switch, but Microsoft’s commitment to a joint eco-system remains to be seen. Gaming could one day be like Ori’s developer, who envisions a future where gamers can play any game on any platform.