Celeste studio Extremely OK Games has announced that Earthblade, its upcoming pixel art Metroidvania platformer, has been delayed beyond 2024.
In a March 2024 update posted on its official website, Extremely OK says that Earthblade "ain't coming out in 2024", and that the studio needs to "face the music".
Despite the delay, Extremely OK's Maddy Thorson says that work on the game hasn't stagnated; in fact, a new designer, indie developer Kyle Pulver, has joined the Extremely OK team to work on Earthblade.
Pulver apparently previously appeared as a hidden character in Thorson's game TowerFall, and she calls him the game's "world champion" in the aforementioned delay announcement post.
Apparently, Pulver has "big ideas" for Earthblade, and he's bringing "fresh eyes" to the project. Thorson says she's reluctant to grow Extremely OK's team, but that she's been struggling to keep up with her workload and personal issues.
Thorson goes on to say that she's recovering from "a major transition-related surgery", and that now the surgery is done, she feels "a deep sense of ease". It sounds like the team will be able to work on Earthblade a little more easily going forward.
If you're not familiar with Earthblade, it's a Metroidvania platformer currently in the works at Celeste studio Extremely OK Games.
Headed up by Celeste's Maddy Thorson, Earthblade was originally announced all the way back in 2021, complete with a rather charming Secret of Mana-style retro logo.
The first footage for the game was subsequently shown during the 2022 Game Awards ceremony, which is also when the original release window of 2024 was revealed.
We don't yet know whether Earthblade will come to consoles, but it's definitely launching for PC, as the Steam page demonstrates. We'll bring you more on this game as and when we get it, so stay tuned.
