Earthblade, the highly anticipated sequel from the Celeste developers, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article details the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.
Internal Disputes Lead to 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, contributed to the decision. The core of the conflict stemmed from disagreements over the intellectual property rights of Celeste. While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros departing to work on his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings and hopes for future collaboration.
The loss of Medeiros wasn't the sole reason for cancellation. Thorson cited the game's protracted development and the pressure to surpass Celeste's success as contributing factors to team burnout and a sense of lost direction. The project, while promising, wasn't as far along as anticipated.
EXOK's Future Focus
With a smaller team, EXOK plans to refocus on smaller-scale projects, prioritizing a more sustainable and enjoyable development process, reminiscent of their work on Celeste and TowerFall. They express hope for future collaborations with former team members.
Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer featuring Névoa, a child of Fate, exploring a ruined Earth. While the cancellation is disappointing, EXOK aims to learn from this experience and move forward with renewed creative energy.
