Earthblade, the highly anticipated game from the Celeste developers, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article delves into the reasons behind the cancellation.
Internal Disputes Lead to Cancellation
Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind the acclaimed Celeste, announced the cancellation of Earthblade on their official website. In a statement, 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, a conflict that ultimately led to Medeiros' departure to pursue his own project, Neverway.
Thorson emphasized that despite the conflict, there are no hard feelings towards Medeiros and his new venture.
While Medeiros' departure played a role, Thorson also cited the project's protracted development and the pressure to surpass the success of Celeste as contributing factors to the cancellation. The team ultimately recognized that continuing development was not the optimal path forward.
EXOK's Future Focus
With the team restructuring, Thorson and Berry intend to concentrate on smaller-scale projects, aiming to recapture the creative energy of their earlier works like Celeste and TowerFall. They expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members.
Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer centered around Névoa, a child of Fate returning to a ravaged Earth. The cancellation marks a significant setback, but EXOK remains committed to future endeavors.
