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Banned
Ori Developer's Culture Reportedly 'Oppressive,' No Longer Working With Xbox - IGN
A new report alleges that Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios had issues with crunch and abuse as well as a difficult relationship with Xbox.
Moon Studios, the developer behind Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel, is reportedly an "oppressive" place to work that has myriad issues with crunch, verbal abuse, and poor organization. This is according to a new report by Gamesbeat, which reports that Xbox is no longer working with the studio following what was said to be a "difficult relationship."
The lengthy report details a range of allegations, most of which center on the studio's founders, Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol. They include reports of "constant arguments," a crunch culture in which developers were expected to be available at all hours and on weekends, and a steady stream of racist, sexist, and anti-semitic banter.
"It's an oppressive workplace, for sure. But it’s hard to pinpoint one thing because, in isolation, all of these incidents, if they happen once, you would think they are small things," one developer is quoted as saying. "When you're dealing with that for [multiple] years, you're going to see the decline of people’s mental health. I can say that for myself, personally, I was properly messed up after we finished. I've never been depressed until that moment. I lost my passion for my job because they drummed it out of me."
Another developer is quoted as saying, "Were the founders both belligerent? Yes. In my opinion. Was it limited to those two? Yes. Unprofessional on an hourly basis? Yes. Harassing? Yes."
The full report paints a picture of a studio with a "perfectionist" culture that rarely provided positive feedback and burned out developers. The story also covers issues with bonuses and other problems. Developers reportedly compared the issues at Moon Studio with those of Bungie and Activision Blizzard, which have captured headlines with their own problems.
Moon Studios originally found success with Ori and the Blind Forest in 2015, with Ori and the Will of the Wisps following in 2020. Both games were gorgeous Metroidvanias, and were some of the rare bright spots in the Xbox One's lineup of exclusives.
But while Moon Studios was closely associated with Xbox, it reportedly had a fraught relationship with the platform holder, filled with missed deadlines, conflicts over funding amounts, and constantly changing scope. Moon Studios' next project is reportedly an action RPG that it is developing in partnership with Private Division.
IGN reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story with their response. Mahler and Korol responded to the allegations in a lengthy statement to Gamesbeat:
The Moon Studios report is part of an ongoing reckoning with abusive work cultures throughout the games industry. On the same day that Gamesbeat released its report, investigative Youtube channel People Make Games released a new video focusing on abuse within three major indie studios. The growth of gaming from a hobbyist pursuit into a multi-billion dollar global industry has laid bare the issues with crunch and abuse that has dogged game development for many years now.
Outside of Moon Studios, Xbox must deal with the issues at Activision Blizzard, which it recently acquired. For more info, check out our timeline outlining the issues at Activision Blizzard, which are ongoing.
