Moon Studios, the creative force behind the beloved Ori series, has announced that the official release date for its upcoming action‑RPG, No Rest for the Wicked, will be moved to March 2027. The game initially entered early access in April 2024 and was slated for a full 1.0 launch in October 2026. However, the studio has decided to grant itself additional development time to ensure the final product meets the high bar they set for themselves. As of July 2026, No Rest for the Wicked has already sold two million copies during its early‑access phase, indicating strong community interest and solid commercial performance.
Despite these promising numbers, Moon Studios emphasized that the title is only "close" to being ready for a full launch, and that "close" simply isn’t sufficient for a game they intend to present as a flagship, generational experience. "The honest truth is that we're a small team, and we're holding our games to a standard we won't compromise on," the studio wrote in an official statement.
"The extra time will help us improve performance, tighten the class system, and polish the whole game to the standard you all deserve. We'd rather take a few more months than ship something that we know isn't quite perfect yet." The delay will also allow Moon Studios to run additional closed and open beta sessions over the coming months. These tests are designed to give the community more opportunities to experience the evolving build, provide feedback, and help shape the final version of the game.
An open beta is slated for December 2026, giving players a chance to dive deeper into the world, experiment with the newly refined class mechanics, and report any remaining issues. Customers who purchase No Rest for the Wicked before January 1, 2027, will be rewarded with a special "Founders Pack" as a token of appreciation for their early support. The pack includes exclusive in‑game cosmetics, a digital artbook, and a behind‑the‑scenes documentary about the game's development. PlayStation users will be able to pre‑order the title starting in January 2027, and those pre‑orders will also qualify for the same Founder’s Pack benefits.
In a separate video posted to the studio’s YouTube channel, founder Thomas Mahler elaborated on the reasons behind the postponement. He described the last several months as a "mad dash" to integrate additional content, finalize the class system, and incorporate all the features originally promised for the 1.0 launch. Mahler noted that the team has been conducting extensive playtesting and that the results have shown the game still needs refinement.
"We've been playtesting a lot, and the truth is simply that we're not quite there yet," Mahler said. "We've been working on the first prototypes of No Rest for the Wicked all the way back in 2016, and given we're in the last couple of months, we would just like to take that extra time to make sure that we land this plane safely and that we don't ship with any silly little bugs left." Mahler’s comments also highlighted the studio’s long‑term vision for the title. He expressed a desire for No Rest for the Wicked to be remembered as a "generational" game—one that stands out in the industry and is talked about for years to come. This ambition is part of why the team is unwilling to rush the final stages, preferring to deliver a polished, immersive experience rather than meet an arbitrary deadline.
The decision to delay has been met with a mixture of understanding and disappointment from fans. Many appreciate the transparency and the studio’s commitment to quality, while others are eager to get their hands on the full version as soon as possible. Nonetheless, the community appears supportive of the extra development window, recognizing that a well‑crafted game will ultimately provide a more satisfying experience.
From a business perspective, the delay also gives Moon Studios additional time to fine‑tune the game's monetization model, marketing strategy, and cross‑platform rollout. The studio plans to release the game on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and possibly Nintendo Switch, though the exact platform list will be confirmed closer to the new launch date. In summary, Moon Studios has postponed the official release of No Rest for the Wicked to March 2027 to allow for further performance optimization, class system refinement, and overall polishing. The studio will continue to engage the community through beta testing, and early supporters will receive exclusive rewards.
Founder Thomas Mahler assures fans that the extra time will help the team deliver a truly memorable, high‑quality experience that lives up to the lofty expectations set by their previous titles.