Earthblade, the highly anticipated game from the Celeste creators, has been cancelled due to internal team conflicts. This article details the events leading to this decision.

Internal Conflicts 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, contributed to the decision. A dispute over the intellectual property rights of Celeste was a central point of contention.

While a resolution was reached, it resulted in Medeiros departing to work on his own game, Neverway. Thorson emphasized that there are no hard feelings, stating that Medeiros and his team are not the enemy.

The loss of Medeiros wasn't the sole reason for cancellation. Thorson noted that the project's progress was slower than anticipated, and the pressure to surpass Celeste's success contributed to team burnout. The decision to cancel was ultimately made to allow the team to recover and refocus.

EXOK's Future Direction

With a reduced team, Thorson and Berry plan to concentrate on 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 a more joyful and sustainable creative process.

Earthblade was envisioned as an explor-action platformer featuring Névoa, a child of Fate, exploring a ruined Earth.