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

Earthblade, the highly anticipated game from the Celeste developers, 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 the acclaimed 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 issue stemmed from a disagreement over the intellectual property rights of Celeste.

While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros departing to pursue his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings, stating that Medeiros and his team are not considered adversaries.

The loss of Medeiros, coupled with the game's slower-than-expected development progress and the pressure of following up on Celeste's success, ultimately led to the cancellation. Thorson acknowledged the exhaustion and admitted that the team had lost its way.

EXOK's Future Focus

With a smaller team, EXOK plans to shift its focus to smaller-scale projects, returning to a development style reminiscent of their work on Celeste and TowerFall. They expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members. The statement concluded with a positive outlook, emphasizing a return to the joy of creative development.

Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer, following the journey of Névoa, a child of Fate, on a ruined Earth.