Director calls Ori 3 rumors ‘nonsense’, amid claims Xbox is making a new game without him

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the development of a third Ori game, six years after the release of the last Metroidvania entry in the series. According to coverage from Yahoo Tech, a leaker previously known for information regarding The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time asserts that Xbox is currently working on a new Ori title. However, the director of the series has explicitly countered these claims. As reported by Insider Gaming and Video Games Chronicle, the director has described the rumors surrounding an Ori 3 project as nonsense. This creates a direct contradiction between the claims of the leaker and the statements from the series' original creator. Multiple industry outlets are tracking the friction between the developer and the platform holder.

Pure Xbox highlights the speculation that an announcement for Ori 3 could occur at Gamescom, though it notes that the CEO of Moon Studios considers such an event to be nonsense. Press Start Australia further emphasizes that the original creator of Ori has seemingly shut down the rumors of a third game. The coverage across these five sources illustrates a divide between external leaks and the internal narrative provided by the leadership at Moon Studios, specifically the CEO and the director. To understand why this development is significant, readers must note the timing and the specific nature of the claims. It has been six years since the last Ori Metroidvania was released, leading to heightened anticipation for a sequel. The stakes are further complicated by reports from Video Games Chronicle, which mentions claims that Xbox may be developing a new game in the series without the original director's involvement.

This suggests a potential rift or a shift in intellectual property management between Xbox and the original creative team at Moon Studios. Moving forward, the industry is watching for official communications from Xbox and the potential for a presentation at Gamescom. While the CEO of Moon Studios has dismissed the possibility of an announcement, the persistence of the leaker's claims keeps the possibility open. Future updates will likely focus on whether Xbox confirms any internal development of the franchise or if the silence from the platform holder aligns with the director's dismissal of the rumors as nonsense. Coverage does not yet specify if any official statement from Xbox leadership is forthcoming.