Highlights
- The former Dead Cells lead designer criticizes Motion Twin’s decision, calling them “greedy people” and accusing them of disregarding loyal players and employees.
- Motion Twin stated that they stopped updating Dead Cells to avoid creative stagnation and diluting the game’s charm, while promising to address future quality-of-life issues and bugs.
- The game’s future is uncertain, but players can still enjoy Dead Cells through the ongoing production of the animated series.
Former Dead Cells lead designer, Sébastien Benard, strongly criticized Motion Twin’s decision to leave the game behind. The development studio behind the roguelike Dead Cells recently announced its decision to cease future updates for the game, surprising some fans, along with one of its former co-creators.
Dead Cells is an action-platformer video game characterized by its roguelike elements and Metroidvania-style exploration. Developed by Motion Twin and released in 2018, players navigate through procedurally generated levels, battling enemies, acquiring upgrades, and unlocking new abilities with each run. The game’s fast-paced combat, fluid movement, and challenging difficulty have made it a standout title in the indie gaming scene.
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Former Dead Cells lead designer Sébastien Benard took to the game’s Discord to heavily criticize Motion Twin’s decision to stop updating Dead Cells. Benard condemned the studio’s actions as the worst imaginable move against Dead Cells and Evil Empire. He shed light on undisclosed tensions and disagreements brewing behind the scenes, painting a picture of a studio driven by greed and disregard for its loyal player base. “I never imagined my former coop studio would turn out to be such greedy people,” Benard stated.
Why Did Motion Twin Decide to Stop Producing New Updates?
When Motion Twin issued the statement declaring that Update 35 would mark the conclusion of their creative journey with Dead Cells, the developer cited a commitment to avoiding creative stagnation and the risk of diluting the game’s unique charm as primary motivations behind the decision. The developer also mentioned that Evil Empire will be pursuing new adventures. However, Motion Twin promised to continue finding solutions to ensure that all future quality-of-life issues and bugs are addressed on every platform where the game runs.
I never imagined my former coop studio would turn out to be such greedy people.
Following his initial criticism, Sébastien Benard acknowledged in a blog post the impulsiveness of his words. However, he maintained his stance, suggesting that Motion Twin’s decision might be a strategic move to make way for their upcoming title, Windblown. Benard speculated on the studio’s motivations, implying a disregard for both loyal players and employees at Evil Empire who worked hard to create one of the best indie roguelike games. According to Benard, this was all he had to say, and he was closing the topic after this blog post.
As the Dead Cells community grapples with the implications of Motion Twin’s decision, the game’s future seems somewhat uncertain. However, players might still enjoy Dead Cells beyond the game with the ongoing production of the Dead Cells animated series.
Dead Cells
$30 $35 Save $5
Motion Twin’s roguelite Dead Cells is an old-school-style platformer game ideal for Metroidvania fans. As players progress through Dead Cells’ multitude of non-linear levels and areas, they can level and upgrade their character through new abilities and weapons, as well as spice up their gameplay with spells. Combat remains challenging, with five Souls-level difficulty bosses.
- Released
- August 7, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Motion Twin
- Publisher(s)
- Motion Twin
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
