Earthblade’s Cancellation Hints At Dark Side of Breakout Success

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In a sad declaration, the creators behind the indie sensation Celeste, Extremely OK Games, have unfortunately had to scrap their eagerly awaited sequel, Earthblade. On their official website, under the heading “Last Earthblade Update,” Director Maddy Thorson revealed this tough decision was made after a long struggle in development and a disagreement within the team that led to a reevaluation of their approach to Earthblade. Thorson described the cancellation as both heart-rending and liberating.

Earthblade’s cancellation could hint at a common problem that comes with a breakout success

At the 2022 Game Awards, a captivating 2D, pixel art game titled Earthblade was unveiled in a two-minute trailer. As a sequel to the highly acclaimed and critically praised platformer Celeste, there was a lot of anticipation surrounding this game. Although no specific launch date or release window was provided, there were whispers within the gaming community suggesting it might be released later this year or next. However, with the latest update, it appears that Earthblade is actually much closer to development than many had assumed.

In her post, Thorson mentioned that Celeste’s triumph put us under immense expectation to create something more outstanding with Earthblade, and it’s a significant factor why working on it has turned out to be so draining. Achieving a breakthrough success can be both rewarding and challenging; while the steady income is indeed a great advantage, the pressure to surpass the initial success can feel overwhelming at times.

This week in my gaming roundup, I delve into the concept of “The Follow Up” by scrutinizing various indie developers who are busy crafting sequels to their smash hits. One title that’s been heavily anticipated is Team Cherry’s follow-up to Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight: Silksong. The weight of expectation on these developers has become so palpable that the team had to confirm recently, after a fan’s heartfelt plea for an update on social media, that yes, the game is indeed in development.

Given the triumph of smash hits like Hollow Knight, Celeste, Stardew Valley, or Slay the Spire, which consistently generate substantial income for tiny development teams, it’s understandable that they would want to invest time in crafting their next game meticulously. The risk of underdelivering after such a long wait and building up fan expectations to such heights could be detrimental to a small indie studio.

As a die-hard fan, I’m thrilled to know that Extremely OK Games is continuing their creative journey, albeit on a more compact scale compared to the epic saga of Earthblade. I understand it might take some time until we get new updates, but the wait is worth it, knowing they’re working diligently behind the scenes.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve found myself reflecting on our community behavior lately. You know, it’s like tossing a pebble into a vast ocean – every request for Silksong during livestreams feels like that. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be excited about this anticipated game, but let’s remember the small teams behind these masterpieces are already working under pressure. They don’t need us adding to it by constantly demanding more.

Slay the Spire 2, Hollow Knight Silksong, and Haunted Chocolatier haven’t vanished; they’re still in development. In the meantime, there’s a plethora of fantastic games out there waiting for us to explore them. So, let’s practice patience together, fellow gamers. Let’s allow the developers the time they need to create something truly extraordinary without our constant reminders.

  • Hollow Knight (series)
  • earthblade
  • Celeste

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2025-01-25 00:02