Earthblade Cancellation: A Heartbreaking Update from Extremely OK Games
Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the creators of the acclaimed indie title Celeste, have announced the cancellation of their highly anticipated project, Earthblade. This decision, detailed in a recent blog post, stems from internal team challenges and disagreements.
EXOK Director Maddy Thorson explained that a significant contributing factor was a "fracture" within the team, specifically involving disagreements regarding the intellectual property rights of Celeste. While a resolution was reached, it resulted in the departure of former Art Director Pedro Medeiros, who is now pursuing his own project, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings, stating that Medeiros and his team are not considered adversaries.
Beyond personnel changes, Thorson cited the immense pressure stemming from Celeste's success as a major factor. The team struggled to meet their own high expectations and the extended development process proved exhausting. The game, while showing promise, wasn't as far along as anticipated.
Looking Ahead: A Return to Roots
With a significant portion of the team moving on, EXOK plans to refocus on smaller-scale projects. Thorson and remaining programmer Noel Berry aim to rediscover the creative joy they experienced during the development of Celeste and TowerFall. They expressed hope for future collaborations with former team members.
Earthblade, envisioned as an explor-action platformer, would have followed the journey of Névoa, a child of Fate, exploring a ruined Earth. While its cancellation is undoubtedly disappointing for fans, EXOK's commitment to learning from this experience and returning to their creative roots offers a glimmer of hope for future projects.
