By Sagar V. Mankar 
Indie game developer Extremely OK Games (EXOK) has officially announced the cancellation of Earthblade, their highly anticipated 2D exploration-action platformer. The game, first revealed in 2021, was set in a richly detailed pixel-art world and was expected to be released in 2024/2025. It followed the story of Névoa, an enigmatic child of Fate returning to a ruined Earth, offering players a blend of seamless exploration, challenging combat, and a compelling narrative. However, development hurdles and internal issues ultimately led to its cancellation.
Maddy Thorson, EXOK’s Director of R&D, addressed the decision in a blog post, explaining the factors behind the cancellation. Thorson revealed that a “fracture” within the team emerged in early 2024 due to disputes over the intellectual property rights of Celeste, EXOK’s acclaimed previous title. This internal conflict resulted in the departure of art director Pedro Medeiros in November 2024. His exit prompted Thorson and co-founder Noel Berry to reevaluate the future of Earthblade.
Thorson further explained, “Losing Pedro wasn’t the only reason we canceled Earthblade, but it prompted us to reassess whether pushing through the project was worth it. While the game showed promise, it was clear that it wasn’t progressing as expected after such a long development process.”
Thorson also highlighted the emotional and physical toll that the day-to-day development had taken on the team, exacerbated by the high expectations following Celeste‘s success. This led to a realization that continuing with Earthblade would not be sustainable. “Admitting defeat has brought a sense of relief,” Thorson said, adding that the split with Medeiros offered clarity to move forward.
Released in 2018, Celeste was a critical and commercial success, selling over one million copies by March 2020. Praised for its engaging narrative, challenging gameplay, and beautiful pixel art, Celeste earned a Metascore of 92 on Metacritic. Outlets such as IGN and GameSpot lauded it as a masterpiece, with IGN awarding it a perfect 10/10. A free DLC expansion, Farewell, was released in 2019, adding new challenges and gameplay mechanics. Despite its success, EXOK decided not to pursue a sequel, instead focusing on Earthblade.
The pressure to create a game that could rival Celeste’s success weighed heavily on the team.
Importantly, Thorson clarified that the decision to cancel Earthblade was made solely by herself and EXOK co-founder Noel Berry. “This decision rests entirely with me and Noel,” she emphasized, urging fans not to direct anger at Medeiros or his team.
Over the past year, several team members departed from EXOK, leaving Thorson and Berry as the company’s only employees. Now, the duo plans to shift their focus toward smaller-scale projects. “We’re prototyping again, exploring at our own pace, and trying to rediscover the joy of game development like we did during the early days of Celeste and TowerFall,” Thorson concluded.
This marks a new chapter for Extremely OK Games as they step back to reflect, refocus, and embrace a fresh creative approach.
Sources: Extremely OK Games blog