The acclaimed indie hit Celeste is set for release in 2018as one of the best platformers of its timeestablished. The fans were even more excited about the next project from the development studio Extremely OK Games:.
But now there's bad news:The ambitious Metroidvania has officially been canceled.
Why did Earthblade fail?
The decision to stop development of Earthblade was made in December 2024, according to studio head Maddy Thorsonin a blog postexplained. The main reason: a mixture of internal conflicts, the immense pressure to build on Celeste's success, and a creative impasse from which the team could not find a way back.
In particular, the separation of Pedro Medeiros, one of the studio's founding members, marked a turning point in development. According to Thorson, there was disagreement over Celeste's trademark rights. While the issue was resolved, the situation ultimately led to Medeiros leaving the project in November to work on his own game, Neverway.
Losing Pedro wasn't the only reason the game was canceled, but it did make us seriously consider whether taking Earthblade to the end was the right path.
But the enormous pressure to succeed after Celeste also made the project more difficult:With a Metascore of 92 and worldwide acclaim, expectations weighed heavily on the studio to create a game with Earthblade that not only achieved these achievements, but exceeded them.
Celeste's success has put pressure on us to deliver something bigger and better with Earthblade, and that pressure is a big part of why working on it has become so stressful.
A new beginning for Extremely OK Games
After the end of Earthblade, the studio is now drawing conclusions:Thorson and programmer Noel Berry have decided to return to their roots. Instead of working on large projects, they are again devoting themselves to smaller games and prototypes - similar to the beginning of Celeste and the previous title TowerFall.
Earthblade was first announced in 2021 and caused anticipation among Celeste fans in 2022 with a trailer that you can find at the top of the article. A release was originally planned for 2024, before the game disappeared without further updates - until now, the official discontinuation.
