Earthblade, the highly anticipated game from the creators of the indie sensation Celeste, has been officially cancelled due to internal conflicts within the development team. Dive deeper to understand the full story behind this decision.
Earthblade Is Officially Cancelled
Developers Cite Internal "Fracture"
The next big project from Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind the beloved indie game Celeste, has met an unfortunate end. The team announced the cancellation of Earthblade on their official website, marking it as the "Final Earthblade Update."
In this candid announcement, EXOK Director Maddy Thorson expressed the emotional toll of the decision. "Late last month, Noel and I made the difficult decision to cancel Earthblade. Yes, we are opening the year with a huge, heartbreaking, and yet relieving failure," Thorson shared, extending apologies to the fans eagerly awaiting its release. She revealed that the team is still grappling with the aftermath of this decision.
Thorson pinpointed the root cause of the cancellation: a significant "fracture" within the team, particularly between herself, EXOK Computer Programmer Noel Berry, and former Art Director Pedro Medeiros. The crux of their conflict revolved around "disagreement about the IP rights of Celeste," though Thorson refrained from delving deeper into this sensitive issue.
Despite reaching a resolution, the fallout led to Medeiros departing to pursue his own project, Neverway, under a new studio. Thorson was clear about maintaining a positive relationship, stating, "Pedro and the Neverway team aren't the enemy and anyone who treats them as such isn't welcome in any EXOK community."
Medeiros' departure was not the sole reason for the cancellation, but it triggered a critical evaluation of the project's future. Thorson admitted, "The project had a lot going for it but, frustratingly, it was also not as far along as one would expect after such a protracted development process." The pressure to surpass the success of Celeste weighed heavily on the team, contributing to the exhaustion and loss of direction. Thorson concluded, "The team has lost its way, and it's now time to concede and admit defeat."
EXOK’s Future Plans
With a significant portion of their team having moved on, Thorson and Berry are looking to the future with renewed focus on smaller-scale projects. They are currently in the experimental phase, aiming to "rediscover game development in a manner closer to how we approached it at Celeste's or TowerFall's inception." Thorson expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members, ending on an optimistic note: "We gave it all we've got, and life goes on. We are happy to return to our roots and reclaim some joy in our creative process, and see where that takes us."
Earthblade was envisioned as an "explor-action platformer," following the journey of Névoa, the child of Fate, as they navigate a ruined Earth in search of remnants of its past.
