Dead Cells is a phenomenal game, a mighty feat of mechanical precision and environmental storytelling that captured the hearts of players across the world. Surpassing its reputation as one of the best roguelikes ever, it’s regarded as one of the best PC games full stop. It’s welcomed millions of players, boasts 97% positive feedback on Steam, and has been garnished with DLC for years after its release. However, further development was stopped last year, so we sat down with two developers from Motion Twin to find out why the studio left it behind.
“We are still very, very proud of the project,” artist and level designer Gwen Massé says of Dead Cells. “And still very amazed about the reception of the game, even in 2025.” Dead Cells was the perfect storm for an indie game in the mid-2010s. Small games seemed to be booming, pixel art was the height of fashion, and innovative developers were flexing their roguelike muscles with each new release.
Motion Twin stuck with the game after its release, adding updates and DLC to keep players engaged. These weren’t rush jobs or free cosmetics, they were serious changes that impacted the gameplay, level design, and entire Dead Cells experience. However, it wouldn’t last.
In early 2019, around a year after the game’s full release, Motion Twin handed over the continued development of Dead Cells to Evil Empire, a new studio formed by several members of former Motion Twin staff. Evil Empire continued the great updates until 2024, when Motion Twin ordered it to cease updating Dead Cells.
This move didn’t go down well in the roguelike community, and was seen as a cynical decision in order to promote Motion Twin’s new game, Windblown, which is in early access now.
However, Massé and fellow developer Yannick Berthier, who is Windblown’s co-creative director and game designer, believe that sunsetting Dead Cells was for the best.
“We felt that it was a good thing to stop updates for the game because we felt that we were at the end of an era about Dead Cells,” explains Massé. “For us and for the players it was a good thing to have the game you wanted to make at the beginning. So right now we are really focused on Windblown, focused 100%.”
Berthier joined Motion Twin in the post-Dead Cells era, but understands how important the game is for the studio and the audience. He believes that the game’s runaway success ultimately led to the creation of the role he would eventually fill, an expansion of the team which may not have happened were it not for Dead Cells’ ten million sales.
“Our studio overall has been blessed by that by that project,” he says of the hit roguelike. It’s the indie developer’s dream, a runaway successful debut (Motion Twin had been making browser games since 2001, but Dead Cells was its first game available on Steam and consoles) that allows it to explore it’s creativity without huge pressure and financial restrictions in the future.
“Above all, it pushed the studio way beyond what it was doing before and now we can make stuff that is quite ambitious, even technically speaking.”
Windblown is technically ambitious. Adding co-op play to a lightning-fast roguelike is no mean feat, but there’s a lot more than multiplayer bubbling under the hood here. Feedback from early access has been positive so far, but whether Windblown matches Dead Cells’ success will depend on many factors. Motion Twin clearly believes ceasing development of the former hit will help its chances.
This news is unlikely to placate fans, especially as a different development team was overseeing Dead Cells’ continued updates. Motion Twin is banking on rising from the shadow of Dead Cells, but it needs to get players on board with Windblown if it has any hope of success.
Windblown is out now in early access. You can download it here.
If you’re after more games as punishing as Dead Cells, check out our list of the best soulslike games. Alternatively, the best Steam Deck games are perfect for taking on the go-Dead Cells included.
How do you feel about the fate of Dead Cells? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and fellow readers predict the next indie gems. Also, keep your eyes peeled for more from my chat with Motion Twin in the coming days.
