Earthblade, a Game by Celeste Devs, Cancelled Due to \"Disagreements\"

Earthblade Cancellation: A Heartbreaking Update from Extremely OK Games

The highly anticipated Earthblade, from the creators of Celeste, has been cancelled. Extremely OK Games (EXOK) announced the difficult decision on their website, citing internal team issues as the primary reason.

In a statement, EXOK Director Maddy Thorson explained that a significant disagreement regarding the intellectual property rights of Celeste created a fracture within the team, involving 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 stressed that there are no hard feelings, emphasizing that Medeiros and his team are not to be considered adversaries.

The loss of Medeiros, combined with the game's less-than-expected progress after a lengthy development period and the pressure stemming from Celeste's success, led to the decision to cancel Earthblade. Thorson acknowledged the exhaustion and admitted the team had lost its way.

Looking Ahead: EXOK's Future Focus

Thorson and Berry plan to refocus on smaller-scale projects, aiming to recapture the creative spirit of their earlier works like Celeste and TowerFall. They expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members. The statement concluded with a message of moving forward and rediscovering joy in their creative process.

Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer featuring Névoa, a child of Fate, exploring a ruined Earth. While its cancellation is undoubtedly disappointing, EXOK's commitment to learning from this experience and pursuing future projects offers a glimmer of hope for fans.