Late final week got here the information that, seven years after its early entry launch, authentic builders Movement Twin and DLC builders Evil Empire will likely be ending work on Lifeless Cells. Evil Empire was arrange as a satellite tv for pc studio to assist the sport and had been engaged on it for over 5 years, creating 4 DLCs and 18 updates together with the current (and glorious) Castlevania crossover, however now says it is shifting on to “secret initiatives”.
The information did not appear to be an infinite shock: Lifeless Cells has been wildly profitable, and has had nice post-launch assist, but it surely’s now a completely large recreation and 7 years of updates appears fairly wholesome. However the recreation’s designer and a co-founder of Movement Twin, Sébastien Benard, has a really completely different take: this man is totally livid about it, and appears to assume Evil Empire is being thrown below the bus.
Bernard was requested concerning the announcement on the official Lifeless Cells Discord server (first noticed by PCGN), and his reply is stark:
“Because you’re asking me, I’d simply say [Motion Twin] did the worst possible asshole transfer towards Lifeless Cells and [Evil Empire],” writes Bernard. “Having seen first hand the precise state of affairs behind the scenes, I can truthfully say I’m glad to not be a part of this anymore. The official assertion is complete advertising bullshit, the best way this case occurred is on an entire completely different stage.
“I by no means imagined my former co-op studio would become such grasping individuals. I want the best possible to EE for his or her subsequent issues, and hope individuals working there’ll survive this sudden financial lower.”
Evil Empire was particularly based to work on Lifeless Cells, and Bernard is implying the choice to finish assist for the sport is a top-down and money-driven one. The accusations of greed and a number of the language listed below are actually eyebrow-raising, although it is price remembering that Movement Twin was established as a employee collective and Bernard undoubtedly has agency concepts about the way it ought to function.
Benard spent 19 years at Movement Twin earlier than leaving within the wake of Lifeless Cells’ success, and apparently not on one of the best of phrases. On the time he wrote that, following Lifeless Cells’ launch and success, he’d moved onto prototyping future video games however “my relations with the group grew to become increasingly difficult. So difficult, really, that it finally led to my compelled departure, as I used to be requested to depart in December 2019.”
His phrases on Movement Twin are fairly scathing stuff nonetheless, and an surprising response to a comparatively low-key announcement. I’ve reached out to Movement Twin and Bernard himself about this, and can replace with any response.