Sébastien Bénard, the former lead designer of the popular indie roguelike game Dead Cells, has expressed his displeasure over the decision to end the development of the game. Bénard, who left Motion Twin to establish Deepnight Games in 2020, recently shared his thoughts on the matter on his official website and the Dead Cells Discord server.
In his statement, Bénard acknowledged that his initial response may have been hasty and apologized for its directness. He discussed his long-standing partnership with Motion Twin, noting the company’s decision to ignore their past web-era player base despite their loyalty and requests for the source code of long-dead web games.
Bénard expressed ongoing dissatisfaction with Motion Twin’s development process, revealing that the current team is composed of only three former Dead Cells members. He credited Evil Empire, the team responsible for the subsequent nine million units sold, as the true caretakers of the franchise while admitting his initial skepticism about handing over the game to them.
The lead designer observed that press outlets increasingly acknowledged Evil Empire as the true creators of Dead Cells, causing apparent displeasure from Motion Twin. He deemed the decision to end Dead Cells’ development as an abrupt marketing strategy to make way for Motion Twin’s new project, Windblown, but criticized its negative impact on loyal players and Evil Empire employees.
Despite the controversial ending of Dead Cells’ development, the game has achieved remarkable success over the course of five years. Motion Twin previously assured players that Dead Cells would be here to stay, with a content update roadmap in place extending until at least the end of 2024.
In their final content update, titled Update 35, Motion Twin plans to focus on addressing bugs and improving the overall user experience. Although no release date has been announced yet, players can expect continued support for Dead Cells in the near future.
The decision to halt Dead Cells’ development has sparked disappointment and frustration among fans of the game, highlighting the complex dynamics within Motion Twin and the relationship between the original team and Evil Empire. As Dead Cells continues to captivate players worldwide, the future of the franchise remains uncertain, leaving fans eagerly awaiting further updates and announcements.
