The new game from the makers of Celeste and TowerFall has been delayed

Extremely OK Games says Earthblade won’t be released this year as once planned

The next game from the studio behind Celeste and TowerFall won’t be releasing this year as originally planned.

In an update on the status of Earthblade, Extremely OK Games said it had been hoping to announce a firm release date by this point, but that progress had been slower than expected.

The studio’s director of R&D, Maddy Thorson, said she’d struggled to keep on top of her workload while facing challenges in her personal life, including her gender transition.

“First we need to face the music: this game ain’t coming out in 2024”, Thorson wrote. “We had hoped to be announcing a firm release date around now, but it just isn’t in the cards.

“We know that this will be disappointing for a lot of you and we’re sorry for that. Maybe this was predictable, but still it always sucks when the haters are right.”

However, Thorson said development of the game is progressing, aided by the recruitment of veteran indie developer and TowerFall “world champion” Kyle Pulver.

Kulver previously made games including Depict1 and Offspring Fling, and worked as a designer on Super Meat Boy Forever, among other titles.

“Kyle quickly approached us with big ideas, which can be scary for everyone involved. But it was clear that he’s not here to derail the project,” said Thorson.

“He’s identifying our vision and the problems preventing the game from living up to it, and working with us to pinpoint solutions. Plus his fresh eyes have inspired all of us to see things anew.”

Earthblade was announced in April 2021 and was first shown at The Game Awards the following December.

“You are Névoa, an enigmatic child of Fate returning at long last to Earth, in this explor-action platformer,” according to the description accompanying its debut trailer, which is viewable below.

“Earthblade’s lush pixel art world offers seamless exploration, challenging combat, and countless mysteries to pick apart.

“Travel the remnants of a ruined world, encounter denizens both friend and foe, and piece together the Earth’s fractured history.”

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Celeste was released for consoles and PC in January 2018. The award-winning platformer was created by Thorson and co-developer Noel Berry, with art outsourced to Brazilian studio MiniBoss.

It was praised for its tight platforming mechanics as well as its depiction of mental health, with the game’s main character struggling with anxiety as she scales an imposing mountain.

The game’s final story chapter, titled Chapter 9: Farewell, was released as a free update in September 2019 and added over 100 new levels plus 40 minutes of new music.