Moon Studios Says It's 'Fully Independent', Buys No Rest for the Wicked Publishing Rights From Take-Two

Moon Studios says it has acquired the publishing rights to its top-down action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked and is now “fully independent”. The developer bought back the rights from Take-Two Interactive following prolonged negotiations and will publish the game independently when it launches. No Rest for the Wicked released in Steam Early Access in April 2024 and is set to arrive on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Moon Studios Goes 'Fully Independent'

The Ori and the Blind Forest developer shared the update in a new Wicked Inside Showcase presentation, explaining their silence since The Crucible content update for No Rest for the Wicked was rolled out in June 2024.

“After months of negotiations, we reached an agreement to buy the publishing rights for No Rest for the Wicked back, so that Moon Studios can become fully independent. This legal process took time, and we couldn't say much while it was happening,” studio co-founder and director Gennadiy Korol said in the video.

“But today, we're excited to announce that it's all done, and that Moon Studios is now fully independent,” Moon Studios CEO and creative director Thomas Mahler said. “We believe this will give you even more confidence in our vision because we're free to build No Rest for the Wicked exactly how we want, without needing to ever go silent again,” he added.

No Rest for the Wicked was published by Take-Two subsidiary Private Division when it launched in early access on Steam last year. However, Take-Two sold the indie games label in November 2024 to focus on its core franchises. Rights to most of Private Division's live and unreleased games were purchase by the buyer, as well, but Take-Two chose to hold on to the rights to No Rest for the Wicked.

No Rest for the Wicked Content Update

In addition to the studio update, Moon Studios also announced The Breach, the next major content update for No Rest for the Wicked. The update is the biggest one yet for the game, the studio said.

The Breach adds more story content, campaign progression, more playable zones, enemies and boss fights to the base game. The content update will launch on April 30, 2025.

No Rest for the Wicked is a top-down action-RPG from Moon Studios, the developer behind Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of Wisps. The game was announced in 2023 and released in Steam Early Access last year. While there's no confirmed release date for the full version, No Rest for the Wicked will launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.