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

Earthblade, the highly anticipated sequel from the Celeste creators, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article details the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.

Internal Disputes Lead to Cancellation

Extremely OK Games (EXOK), the studio behind Celeste, announced the cancellation of Earthblade on their website. Director Maddy Thorson explained that a significant internal fracture, involving herself, programmer Noel Berry, and former art director Pedro Medeiros, led to the decision. The core issue stemmed from a disagreement concerning the intellectual property rights of Celeste, a conflict that ultimately resulted in Medeiros departing to work on his own project, Neverway. While the situation was challenging, Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings and hopes for future collaboration.

Thorson acknowledged that the pressure of following up Celeste's success contributed to the difficulties in developing Earthblade. The project, while promising, wasn't as far along as anticipated after an extended development period. The team ultimately decided that continuing would not be the best path forward.

EXOK's Future Focus

With the departure of team members, EXOK plans to refocus on smaller-scale projects, prioritizing a more sustainable and enjoyable development process. They are currently prototyping and experimenting, aiming to recapture the creative energy of their earlier work on Celeste and TowerFall. The studio expressed a desire to collaborate with former team members in the future.

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 future endeavors.