One of the best roguelikes ever is about to come to a close, as developer Motion Twin confirms that Dead Cells update 35 will be the last for the Metroidvania-inspired action platformer. Since its early access launch in May 2017, Dead Cells has racked up an astonishing, ‘overwhelmingly positive’ 97% Steam rating from over 125,000 user reviews, and has only gotten better with dramatic system overhauls and expansions up to and including 2023’s glorious crossover Return to Castlevania DLC.
Now, though, developer Motion Twin confirms, “Update 35 for Dead Cells marks the end of our creative journey on the game.” When the core team behind Dead Cells moved on to development of its next game, later revealed as Windblown, in 2019, Motion Twin set up spinoff studio Evil Empire to carry on work on the beloved roguelike game that made its name.
With the Windblown release date now looking as though it might arrive this year following its reveal at The Game Awards 2023, Motion Twin says, “After an incredible five-year collaboration in bringing additional content to Dead Cells, Evil Empire will be pursuing new adventures, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.”
It notes that the teams took a lot of time to reflect after the “awesome success of the Return to Castlevania DLC last year,” but says ultimately that it’s committed to “avoiding the ‘more of the same’ trap.” It explains, “As we’ve seen with other long-running series, it’s crucial not to overextend and risk diminishing the unique charm that makes Dead Cells special to us all.”
Dead Cells update 35, rather fittingly titled ‘The End is Near,’ which has been in testing since August 2023, is still in development. “We really wanted to bring this update to you quickly,” Motion Twin says, “but it turns out we can’t release it just yet.” If you’re too curious to wait, however, you can still join the public beta through the Dead Cells ‘betas’ tab via the properties menu from your Steam library.
Motion Twin also reassures players that it “will of course continue to find solutions to make sure that all quality of life issues and bugs are properly fixed across all platforms.” It notes that we haven’t seen the last of it yet; with a Dead Cells animated series and a board game on the way, along with the upcoming Terraria Dead Cells crossover, there’s still life in the old roguelike yet. Plus, it’s currently included for anyone with a PC Game Pass subscription, so if you’ve yet to discover what makes it so special, you can do so at no additional cost.
“We wish the best to Evil Empire on their upcoming projects and want to express our deepest gratitude to you, the players, for your unwavering support and passion for Dead Cells,” the Motion Twin team writes in closing. “Your enthusiasm fuels our commitment, and we’re eager to embark on the next chapter of this journey together.”
If you’re looking for your next favorite game, we’ve picked out all the best indie games in 2024 to make sure you haven’t missed any big hitters. Or, if the combat rhythm of Dead Cells is what really gets you fired up, be sure to check out the best soulslike games on PC.
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