Earthblade, Celeste Devs Game, Canceled Amidst "Disagreements"

Earthblade Cancellation: A Heartbreaking Update from Extremely OK Games

Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the creators of the acclaimed indie title Celeste, have announced the cancellation of their highly anticipated project, Earthblade. This decision, detailed in a recent blog post titled "Final Earthblade Update," stems from internal challenges within the development team.

EXOK Director Maddy Thorson explained that a significant contributing factor was a "fracture" within the team, involving disagreements, primarily concerning the intellectual property rights of Celeste, between herself, programmer Noel Berry, and former art director Pedro Medeiros. While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros departing to pursue his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings and welcomes continued collaboration in the future.

Beyond personnel changes, Thorson cited the immense pressure following Celeste's success as a major factor. The expectation to surpass their previous achievement proved incredibly taxing, leading to burnout and a realization that continuing Earthblade wasn't the right path forward. The game, while promising, was not as far along in development as anticipated.

Looking Ahead: A Return to Roots

With a smaller team, EXOK plans to refocus on smaller-scale projects, returning to a development style reminiscent of their work on Celeste and TowerFall. They aim to rediscover the joy of game creation and explore new creative avenues. The team expressed hope for future collaborations with former members.

Earthblade, envisioned as an explor-action platformer following the journey of Névoa across a ruined Earth, will not see the light of day. However, EXOK's commitment to their craft and their positive outlook offer a glimmer of hope for future projects.