The famous Earthblade presented three years ago will unfortunately not make its debut this year as planned.
Gamers know that postponements are legion in the video game industry. Producing a game is no easy feat, and it’s all the more complex for independent studios. With a team and a reduced budget, it takes even more effort to bring a title, no matter how simple it is, to life. Certainly, indie gaming aficionados are some of the most patient gamers. Many years can pass between the announcement and publication of such a project. The famous Hollow Knight: Silksong is a perfect example of this. Like many games in the genre, this new adventure developed by Team Cherry has no release date or recent trailer. Unfortunately, it turns out that even dated productions suffer from the harsh reality of the independent industry.
Today we learn of the postponement of Earthblade, the latest title from the studio Extremely OK Games, which players will recognize for its two nuggets Celeste and TowerFall. Unveiled in 2021 before getting a first trailer at The Game Awards 2022, this new pixel art game (as the studio knows how to do so well) was announced as the first Metroidvania experience from the creators of Celeste. So dated for the year 2024, so it’s been two years that players have been counting down the days with impatience. Alas, those who were hoping to get their hands on the title in the coming months will have to be patient. Earthblade won’t be there this year.
More time for more perfection
The news came in a blog post shared by studio head Maddy Thorson. Rather than make the community of players wait in total limbo, the teams preferred to face reality at the beginning of the year. Development is not far enough along to confirm a release date in the next nine months, explains the director, not without an ounce of disappointment:
“We thank you for your patience as we do our best to develop this video game that seems stubbornly determined not to see the light of day. You’ll learn more about the process in the following paragraphs, but first we have to face the reality: this game won’t be released in 2024. We were hoping to announce a firm release date at this time, but it’s just not possible. We know this will disappoint many of you and we are sorry for that. It may have been predictable, but it always hurts when the naysayers are right.”
As Maddy Thorson points out, the reputation of independent Metroidvania is not unfounded. Earthblade joins Hollow Knight: Silksong in the pantheon of titles in the genre that continues to develop. As with every postponement, however, it is important to salute the studio’s healthy decision, which prioritizes quality. “Even if we could go back and do everything ‘perfectly’ from the beginning, the result would be different. Despite the setbacks, we continue to believe in this project and, more importantly, believe in each other,” Thorson says hopefully. Let’s hope Earthblade doesn’t disappear for too long, though. See you next year?