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 this unfortunate decision.
Internal Discord Leads to Cancellation
Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind Celeste, announced the cancellation of Earthblade on their website. In a statement, Director Maddy Thorson explained the reasons behind the cancellation, citing a significant internal rift.
Thorson revealed a dispute between herself, programmer Noel Berry, and former art director Pedro Medeiros regarding the intellectual property rights of Celeste. While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros' departure to pursue his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings, stating that Medeiros and his team are not the enemy.
However, Medeiros' departure wasn't the sole reason for the cancellation. Thorson acknowledged that the project's progress was slower than anticipated, and the pressure to surpass the success of Celeste contributed to team burnout. The decision to cancel was ultimately made to allow the team to recover and refocus.
EXOK's Future Endeavors
With a significant portion of their team moving on, Thorson and Berry plan to concentrate 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. While the cancellation is disappointing, EXOK is looking forward to a renewed creative focus. The team expressed a desire to return to their roots and rediscover the joy of game development.
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