Microsoft’s dual-machine strategy for the ninth console generation was compelling, but the Xbox Series S has ended up being a thorn in the brand’s side. The digital-only, lower-spec Xbox is a great value proposition for consumers, but a policy that requires all games to have feature parity between the Series X and S has caused the delay of yet another RPG.
Moon Studios’ action RPG No Rest for the Wicked will have its full release in October 2026 after more than two years in early access, as revealed in PlayStation’s June 2026 State of Play. When No Rest for the Wicked 1.0 arrives, it will land on PC and PlayStation 5. While the game is confirmed to be receiving an Xbox version, its release will not happen at the same time in October because the Series S is causing development troubles.
When asked on the game’s official Discord about whether the revealed October release window included an Xbox version, No Rest for the Wicked director Thomas Mahler said, “Series S is making that rough. We’ll ship it after in a good way once it’s optimized like crazy for Switch 2 and Xbox,” via VGC. Mahler had previously floated the idea of skipping Xbox entirely, to prioritize the larger user base on PS5, but that appears to be off the table now.
Optimizing No Rest for the Wicked for Series S is specifically what is causing the delay. Simply skipping a Series S version for the time being is likely not an option; Xbox requires all games that come to Series X to also support its lesser partner. Part of the problem is a simple matter of resources. “We’re a comparatively small indie studio, so doing a console port at the quality level we want is not a small task,” Mahler said last year when the discussion first arose.
Perhaps the most infamous example of the Series S altering release timelines was delaying the Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3. BG3 came to Xbox three months after its arrival on PS5, and even then, Microsoft had to bend its own rules. A special exception was made to allow Baldur’s Gate 3 on Series S without split-screen support, a feature which would be absent from the platform for more than a year before finally being implemented in Patch 8.
While No Rest for the Wicked has been successful in early access, it’s unlikely to be granted such a concession from Microsoft (BG3‘s was reportedly negotiated by former Xbox CEO Phil Spencer himself). At this point, it’s unclear when No Rest for the Wicked will come to Xbox. Moon Studios will have to work with Microsoft to find “the best strategies” for bringing the ARPG to Series X/S.
The silver lining of this saga is apparent confirmation that a Switch 2 version of No Rest for the Wicked is being explored. Nintendo’s underpowered hardware is in a similar boat; Moon Studios won’t want to release that version until the developers are satisfied with its optimization. No Rest for the Wicked has been on a long road to its full release, and while a wide release on PC and PS5 will give it a good chance at continuing its success, Xbox Series S is proving to be an unfortunate barrier to reaching even more players.
- Released
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October, 2026
- ESRB
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M for Mature
- Developer(s)
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Moon Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Moon Studios, Private Division
- Engine
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unity