Ori and the Will of the Wisps was not only a game of the year contender in 2020 for its pinpoint platforming, Metroid-like map design, character building, gorgeous art design, and music--but it had an emotional connection with nature. Right down to the heart-wrenching and inspiring ending of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the story was very much intertwined with the idea of protecting nature, protecting a world that seemed impossible as if it was dying but still worth saving. Recently the developer and publishers of the Switch version captured that very essence with a beautiful showing of philanthropy, and the results are pretty moving.
The incredibly received Ori and the Will of the Wisps was developed by Moon Studios. The Switch version of the game, which came out months after the Xbox and PC versions, was published by iam8bit, while SkyBound Games helped out with a physical version as well. Leading up to the end of 2020, iam8bit made a special announcement about a charity drive that the developer and publishers had made together.
The trio decided that between digital and physical sales of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 5% of sales would be donated to Rainforest Trust for the week of December 8 through December 13. In the announcement video for the move, the co-founder of iam8bit said that the team wanted to use its marketing budget to make a positive change, saying "We decided to shake things up and try to make a difference with that money."
During the charity drive for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, enough money was raised to protect 29,000 acres of rainforest habitat. To put that into perspective, that is apparently about double the size of Manhattan. Overall, the team raised $58,000 all based on sales of the Nintendo Switch version of the platformer.
For perspective, 29,000 acres is about 34 central parks in New York City. Again, that is only in one week's worth of sales. Porting Ori and the Will of the Wisps to the Nintendo Switch took a lot of work, but the final result seems to have been well worth the effort thanks in part to its ability to make an impact on the planet.
Ori's story in the game is such an impactful one. Although the moment to moment gameplay is near-flawless, the powerful and emotional storytelling is perhaps what puts the game over the top. What Moon Studios, iam8bit, and SkyBound Games do in bringing an aspect of the game to life in protecting the environment with the game itself is pretty special.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available now for PC, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.