EA announces Black Panther game by ex-Monolith Studios developers

Posted on July 11, 2023

EA has confirmed that a game based on Marvel Comics’ Black Panther is in the works. The game is being made by a new studio, Cliffhanger Games, comprised of several developers from Monolith Studios, the developer behind Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel.

“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” Kevin Stephens, former Monolith studio head, has stated in a press release. “Wakanda is a rich superhero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do.”

Black Panther is of course no stranger to the world of video games. The character has received a substantial expansion for Marvel’s Avengers, as well as having appeared in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s two Black Panther live action films being some of the franchise’s most successful, giving the warrior king of Wakanda a starring role in his own game is a no-brainer. The suggestion that the game will be a sandbox title with an explorable Wakanda is also a tantalising one, particularly with how gorgeously and intricately the setting has been depicted in other media.

This joins the myriad other Marvel games which happen to currently be in development. These include a Wolverine game and the upcoming Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games. An Iron Man game by EA Motive is also in development. Regarding Black Panther, the developers have confirmed that the game is “still early in development with a long road ahead“, so it may be some time before we get gameplay footage or a firm release date.