Earthblade's release date has been pushed back to at least next year as the game's developer, Extremely OK Games, revealed that they currently do not have a firm launch date in place.
The developer is also responsible for Celeste and Towerfall and the studio's director, Maddy Thorson, said that Eartblade "ain't coming out in 2024." Despite the setback, development of the game is said to be ongoing, and that the studio is "excited to work on it."
Earthblade Release Delayed
(Photo : Extremely OK Games / Screenshot taken from official website)
Thorson said that they expect players will be disappointed with the announcement and argued that it may have been predictable. The latest delay is not the first time that the game's release date has been pushed back.
In 2022, Thorson also expressed hope that the title would be able to launch in 2023 "after some form of (private) beta test, polishing, localization, and of course the dreaded console certification," but the efforts were also in vain.
Extremely OK Games, in order to help keep things moving forward with the development of Earthblade, hired a new designer, Kyle Pulver, who was described as a "veteran indie developer." He is also apparently the Towerfall world champion and a hidden character in the game, according to PCGamer.
Thorson said that Pulver quickly approached them with some big ideas in tow, which he said could be scary for everyone involved. However, it was immediately clear that the new designer was not there to derail the project but instead identified the studio's vision and the problems that were preventing the game from living up to it.
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Earthblade was first announced in 2021 and brings a new exploration-action game that features a "seamless pixel art world." It follows the adventures of an "enigmatic child of Fate" who comes back from some unspecified absence in order to explore the ruins of Earth. Players will be tasked with piecing together the planet's fractured history.
Thorson also explained that Pulver becoming a part of the team was prompted by the realization that she herself had become the "bottleneck" on Earthblade's development. She supposedly struggled to manage the project's workload and direction.
A Growing Team
This is something that is exacerbated by personal challenges, including Thorson's gender transition and related major surgery, from which she is still recovering, said Rock Paper Shotgun.
The glimpses of Earthblade that have been revealed so far suggest that the game will be worth the wait and features a beautiful pixel-art style and a soundtrack made by returning composer Lena Raine.
The delay to Extremely OK Games' newest title is one among many other games that have faced setbacks to their launch in the first months of 2024. One of these titles that has had its release date postponed is Homeworld 3, which is the latest entry in the legendary Homeworld Sci-fi RTS franchise.
The game's developer, Blackbird Interactive, decided to delay the launch of Homeworld 3 to May 2024 in order to make some more tweaks so that they can make the game meet the studio's standards and bring it to players as polished as it can be, according to GameRant.
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