No Rest for the Wicked declined Xbox exclusivity after refusing to lose PS5 and Switch sales

In a recent interview, Sarah Bond confirmed that Microsoft sees no future in platform exclusivity. The Xbox President has embraced a trend that includes first-party PS5 games arriving on other systems. However, some studios anticipated these developments years ago. The action RPG No Rest for the Wicked could have been an Xbox exclusive game, but its director refused to make a “dumb business decision.”

Moon Studios has produced popular titles like Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The metroidvania-like games were published by Microsoft and initially locked to PCs and Xbox consoles. In Steam early access, its own studio will publish the newer No Rest for the Wicked, but not for a lack of trying on Microsoft’s part.

Studio co-founder and game director Thomas Mahler explained why No Rest for the Wicked will support the PS5 and Switch. According to Mahler, Microsoft made an offer to have his latest project again be an Xbox exclusive game. At that point, the company hadn’t abandoned its plans for platform-specific titles. Regardless, Mahler couldn’t justify sacrificing PS5 and Switch sales.

On social media, Mahler described the new financial challenges many studios face. Development costs have spiraled out of control since the era filled with Xbox and PlayStation exclusives. Even with advancements in technology, creating models and animations remains a painstaking task. As a result, companies can’t afford to turn down more profitable multi-platform releases.

Why the Switch 2 will continue to rely on first-party games

With the declining adoption of Xbox consoles, Moon Studios’ plan now looks wiser. The No Rest for the Wicked director also expects that PlayStation will abandon more exclusives. Yet, Nintendo remains committed to keeping its first-party Switch 2 games on its handheld. Anticipating the comparison, the No Rest for the Wicked director addressed the subject.

Mahler argues that Nintendo’s “business model is entirely different”. Gamers associate Nintendo consoles with first-party IPs in a way never experienced with PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Despite earlier rumors, No Rest for the Wicked should come to the Series X|S. Still, if the next Xbox console runs on Windows, it would be another deathblow to exclusivity.