Ori creator Thomas Mahler calls Ori 3 rumours "nonsense" and floats buying the IP back from Microsoft
Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios and the creator of the Ori series, has dismissed rumours of a new Ori game as "nonsense."
In an August 23, 2026 post on X, Mahler said he had not heard anything about a supposed Ori 3. The rumour originated from social media account NateTheHate, which claimed the unannounced Xbox game rumoured for Gamescom was a new entry in the Ori franchise — though the account could not confirm whether it would actually appear at the show. Over the weekend before Mahler's post, speculation about an unannounced Xbox game at Gamescom had flooded social media (VGC).
When challenged over NateTheHate's claim, Mahler said he had "just talked to people at Microsoft." He also revealed that Moon Studios had internally discussed its interest in purchasing the Ori IP back from Microsoft — a notable detail, since Moon Studios developed both Ori games but does not own the franchise (VGC; Eurogamer).
The Ori series comprises two games: 2017's Ori and the Blind Forest and its 2020 sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which launched on Xbox One and PC. The series has since come to Nintendo Switch but not PlayStation 5 (Eurogamer).
After Will of the Wisps, Moon Studios shifted focus to the action RPG No Rest for the Wicked, which launched into Early Access — a model where a game is sold while still in development — in 2024. In March 2025, the studio became "fully independent" after regaining the publishing rights to that game from Take-Two. No Rest for the Wicked is scheduled to reach its full 1.0 release in October for PC and PS5 (VGC; Eurogamer).
Mahler shared a personal detail that frames the studio's distance from the franchise: Ori series composer Gareth Coker asked him during a dinner whether the studio would be ready to do another Ori game (Eurogamer).
A 2022 report had separately alleged that Moon Studios was a toxic workplace with mismanagement issues during the development of the Ori games. Mahler and studio co-lead Gennadiy Korol rejected those claims at the time (Eurogamer).
For fans, the upshot is straightforward: no new Ori game has been announced, and the person who built the series says he has heard nothing about one. Moon Studios' attention remains fixed on No Rest for the Wicked and its October launch.
