The highly anticipated Earthblade, from the creators of the acclaimed Celeste, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article details the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.
Internal Discord Leads 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 rift, involving herself, programmer Noel Berry, and former art director Pedro Medeiros, contributed to the decision. The core of the conflict stemmed from a disagreement regarding 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, stating that Medeiros and his team are not considered adversaries.
Beyond the personnel changes, Thorson cited the game's protracted development and the pressure to surpass the success of Celeste as contributing factors to the cancellation. The team recognized that the project, despite its potential, was not as far along as anticipated.
EXOK's Future Focus
With a significant portion of the team moving on, Thorson and Berry intend to refocus on smaller-scale projects, aiming to recapture the creative energy of their earlier work on Celeste and TowerFall. They expressed 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. The cancellation marks a significant setback, but EXOK remains committed to future endeavors.
