After Metroidvania success, Ori CEO leading new action RPG takes aim at Diablo 4: "No microtransactions and battle passes ... no $65 horse skins"

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No Rest for the Wicked isn't including rideable horses since "clever level design is a higher priority than selling mounts"

A screenshot of a bearded individual holding a bird in No Rest for the Wicked.
(Image credit: Private Division)

Moon Studios – the developer behind beloved Metroidvania games Ori and the Blind Forest and Will of the Wisps – is gearing up to launch its next game, action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked, into early access. Ahead of that, its director has clarified that there'll be no microtransactions included in the upcoming title at all, and definitely no expensive skins to buy for horses.

In case you missed it, Blizzard Entertainment was heavily criticized last month when a pricey new Diablo 4 bundle entered the game's shop. Priced at $64.99 – almost the same price as the full game when it's not on sale – the bundle includes a sparkly, crystallized horse along with matching armor and some mount trophies (cosmetics to equip). It also comes with 7,000 Platinum (in-game currency), which is almost certainly what makes this pack so pricey, since 5,700 Platinum sold separately costs $49.99. Even so, this bundle is the only way to grab the special horse, which is a rather large shame for anyone who wants to ride off into the sunset on a gem-bedecked steed without making a significant dent in their wallet.

Back to No Rest for the Wicked, and director Thomas Mahler has stated on Twitter today: "No microtransactions and battle passes for sale. No $65 horse skins. No stash tabs for sale either. If you wanna get more stash tabs for [your] house, you just craft a bigger chest with resources you get in the world."

Further in the thread, Mahler notes that there'll be no rideable horses in the game at all, actually. "I hate horses in video games. They always kinda suck to control and combat on them is always quite meh. [...] There are horses in our world, but you won't get to ride one cause clever level design is a higher priority than selling mounts," he adds.

No Rest for the Wicked is set to launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X in the future, but its early access release will only be available via Steam. You'll be able to dive in on Steam from April 18.

Be sure to check out our picks for the best PC games to find even more fantastic games to jump into.

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of 12DOVE's news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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