Summary

EA has canceled Cliffhanger Games' Black Panther title and shut down the studio in recent layoffs.
The Black Panther game was expected to be set in the modern day, offering unique gameplay elements.
EA plans to focus on proven franchises like Battlefield but will continue supporting other games like Iron Man.

EA has officially canceled Cliffhanger Games’ Black Panther title and shut down the studio as part of a recent round of layoffs. The Black Panther video game was first announced back in 2023, though speculation about it began about a year before when EA Motive’s Iron Man game was revealed. A new studio, Cliffhanger Games, was set up in Seattle to work on this game, under the leadership of former Monolith Productions Vice President Kevin Stephens.

For the past couple of years, the internet has been buzzing with speculation about this Black Panther video game and how it would stand apart from the version featured in Skydance’s upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Unlike that version, which is set in World War 2 and will follow Azzuri (the Black Panther of that era), Cliffhanger’s Black Panther would presumably take place in the modern day. Rumors also hinted that players would be able to choose their own character to don the mantle of the feline protector through a branching narrative, and Cliffhanger reportedly sought to integrate authentic African martial arts.

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By Megan Lorich

Sadly, it seems the Cliffhanger-developed Black Panther game won't be moving forward at EA. IGN recently broke the news that EA has decided to cancel the development of Black Panther in an email sent to staff from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele. Cliffhanger Games is being shut down as well, reportedly as a result of further layoffs at EA. It isn’t clear how many employees will be let go at this time, but the number is said to be less than the nearly 300 layoffs across Respawn and EA's Fan Care teams last month.

Black Panther Studio Cliffhanger Games Is Shutting Down

In the announcement email, Miele said that these layoffs are part of an effort to “sharpen [EA’s] focus and put [EA’s] creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.” She added that, like EA’s previous layoffs, these decisions didn’t come lightly and that EA is actively working to support the affected employees, including helping them find new jobs at the company.

Miele also stated that EA is refocusing its efforts towards a small handful of proven franchises like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. That being said, she reassured that EA will continue to support EA Motive’s Iron Man game, Respawn’s third Star Wars: Jedi title, and BioWare’s next Mass Effect game. However, Cliffhanger Games is no more, and its would-be Black Panther game now joins Monolith’s Wonder Woman as a promising superhero game that fans will unfortunately never get to play.