Ori Creator Shares His Take On The Future Of Xbox’s First-Party Strategy
Moon Studios founder Thomas Mahler has publicly commented on the challenging situation at Xbox Game Studios amid ongoing rumors of significant layoffs and potential studio closures. As head of Moon Studios, Mahler’s perspective carries weight given his studio’s track record developing the acclaimed Ori franchise.
Moon Studios created two acclaimed titles for Xbox: Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which initially launched as console exclusives before later expanding to Nintendo Switch. Both games were critically praised and contributed to Xbox’s first-party portfolio.
Mahler expressed sympathy for those affected by the reported changes, describing the situation as “heartbreaking.” However, he suggested the industry upheaval was not entirely unexpected, characterizing it as having “felt like a long time coming” and indicating broader industry fatigue with existing business models.
Most significantly, Mahler suggested the Xbox situation could precipitate “a much larger reset across the industry,” implying that similar challenges and restructuring may extend beyond Xbox and represent a wider trend affecting the gaming sector. His comments reflect growing concern among industry veterans about the sustainability of current first-party game development models.