Studios across the gaming industry are turning away from exclusive platform releases as development costs continue to rise. The trend has been reinforced by Microsoft’s recent stance, signaling the end of platform exclusivity for its titles. Even before this shift, some developers had already rejected exclusive deals in favor of wider market access.
Moon Studios, known for its Ori series, declined Microsoft’s offer to make No Rest for the Wicked an Xbox-exclusive title. Studio co-founder and director Thomas Mahler said he could not justify turning down sales from PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch players, calling such a move “a dumb business decision.”
The studio’s decision underscores growing financial pressures within the industry. Developers face increasingly complex production demands, with higher costs for modeling, animation, and testing. As Mahler noted, modern game development “has spiraled out of control” in terms of expenses, making multi-platform releases essential for profitability.
Industry observers suggest that this strategic pivot aligns with Microsoft’s broader philosophy shift. Xbox President Sarah Bond has publicly stated that exclusivity is no longer central to the company’s long-term goals, as cross-platform releases reach larger audiences.
While Moon Studios’ approach may serve as a model for others, Nintendo remains an outlier. The company continues to rely on first-party exclusives to drive console sales, a strategy Mahler described as “entirely different” given its deep integration of hardware and intellectual property. For the wider market, however, the move away from exclusivity may signal a new era of openness across gaming platforms.