Following the statement’s publication, several news websites, including Windows Central and Gamereactor UK, picked up the story, with the latter going so far as to claim that the “Ori studio [is] in crisis” and facing “significant financial trouble,” leading many to believe that the acclaimed developer is indeed about to go bankrupt.
The media’s portrayal of the story prompted Mahler to post an update on Twitter, clarifying the reasoning behind his original message. The CEO explained that his intention wasn’t to combat legitimate negative feedback pertaining to actual troubles No Rest for the Wicked undeniably has right now, nor was it to threaten players into changing their reviews from negative to positive or risk stopping the game’s development entirely.
Instead, he aimed to push back against what he referred to as “bullsh*t reviews” – ones unrelated to the game itself and left by players for other reasons, primarily, as strongly implied by Mahler, because they disagree with his political views.
