Ori Developer Moon Studios' Founders Face Allegations Of Sexism & Racism
Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol, the founders of Ori studio Moon Studios, have been accused of sexist and racist behavior in a recent report. The pair founded the independent studio back in 2010 and remained mostly out of the limelight until the success of Ori and the Blind Forest, which catapulted the studio to relevancy. Since then, they have found themselves occasionally foraying into that limelight, a recent example of this being Mahler's public statements criticizing Microsoft and other companies for their focus on exclusivity and console wars.
While Mahler may have a history of being outspoken and opinionated about the world of gaming, the world that he, Korol, and the rest of their development team created for the Ori franchise is comparatively more tranquil and non-confrontational. Ori and the Blind Forest first launched exclusively on Xbox back in 2015 to rave reviews, with several game critics and consumers falling in love with the game's stunning visuals, music, and fluid platforming mechanics. Its sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps iterated upon the foundation set by the 2015 release, further solidifying the company's reputation. Since then, Moon Studios has become a much more established name in the industry, managing to effect positive change through efforts like donating proceeds from the Switch version of Ori 2 to Rainforest Trust.
Related: Ori Developer Apologizes For Remarks On Cyberpunk 2077 & No Man's Sky
With the company portraying such an environmentally conscious and industry-critical image, some fans might be surprised to learn that founders Korol and Mahler are being accused of sexism, racism, and general abuse by their employees. An illuminating article from GamesBeat (later covered by
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