Earthblade Cancelled: Celeste Devs Cite "Disagreements"

Earthblade, the eagerly anticipated game from the creators of the indie sensation Celeste, has been officially cancelled due to internal disagreements within the development team. Dive in to discover the full story behind this unexpected turn of events.

Earthblade Is Officially Cancelled

Developers Cite Internal "Fracture"

The next big title from Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind the acclaimed indie game Celeste, has been cancelled amidst internal team issues. The announcement came via a poignant update on their official website, titled the Final Earthblade Update.

In this update, EXOK Director Maddy Thorson shared the difficult news, expressing both heartbreak and relief. "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 stated, extending apologies to fans who had been eagerly awaiting the game's release. She acknowledged the ongoing emotional processing and grieving within the team.

Thorson elaborated on the core reason behind the cancellation—a "fracture [that] began forming in the team," specifically between herself, EXOK Computer Programmer Noel Berry, and former Art Director Pedro Medeiros. The conflict centered around a "disagreement about the IP rights of Celeste," which Thorson chose not to delve into further due to its sensitive nature.

Despite reaching a resolution, this led to Medeiros parting ways to work on his new game, Neverway, under a new studio. Thorson made it clear that despite the fallout, "Pedro and the Neverway team aren't the enemy and anyone who treats them as such isn't welcome in any EXOK community."

Thorson explained that while Medeiros's departure was significant, it wasn't the sole reason for cancelling Earthblade. It prompted a reassessment of whether continuing the project was viable. "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," she admitted. The pressure to outdo Celeste's success had taken a toll, making the development process exhausting. Thorson concluded that the team had lost its way, and it was time to admit defeat.

EXOK’s Future Plans

With a significant portion of their team having moved on, Thorson and Berry are now looking to the future, aiming to learn from this experience and start anew with smaller-scale projects. They are currently in the prototyping and experimentation phase, seeking to recapture the joy of game development as they did during the early days of Celeste and TowerFall. Thorson expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members and ended 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 enigmatic child of Fate, as they attempt to piece together the remnants of a devastated Earth.