The highly anticipated Earthblade, from the creators of Celeste, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article details the events leading to the game's cancellation.
Internal Disputes Lead to Earthblade's Cancellation
Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind Celeste, announced the cancellation of Earthblade on their website. Director Maddy Thorson explained that a significant internal fracture, involving herself, programmer Noel Berry, and former art director Pedro Medeiros, ultimately led to the decision. A dispute over the intellectual property rights of Celeste was a central point of contention.
While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros leaving EXOK to pursue his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings and welcomes continued collaboration with Medeiros and his team in the future.
The loss of Medeiros wasn't the sole reason for cancellation, but it highlighted underlying issues. The protracted development and the pressure to surpass the success of Celeste contributed to team burnout and a sense that the project wasn't progressing as expected. Thorson acknowledged the team's exhaustion and the need to reassess their approach.
EXOK's Future Focus
With a significant portion of the team moving on, Thorson and Berry plan to focus on smaller-scale projects, returning to a more organic development process reminiscent of their work on Celeste and TowerFall. They express a desire for future collaboration with former team members. The statement concludes with a positive outlook, emphasizing a return to their creative roots and a renewed focus on enjoying the development process.
Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer centered around Névoa, a child of Fate, exploring a ruined Earth.
