Black Panther game reportedly cancelled as EA shuts down Cliffhanger Games

The upcoming video game based on Marvel Comics’ Black Panther announced back in 2023 is reportedly no more. Publisher EA has confirmed in an email sent to employees that Cliffhanger Games, the newly-formed studio formed by ex-Monolith Productions developers, is being shut down alongside layoffs in other areas of the business.

As reported by IGN, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele announced that cancellation of the Black Panther game is intended to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.” Acknowledging that declaring layoffs is never easy, Miele stated in her email that “We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles.” As part of this sharpened focus, EA will reportedly be directing its resources more narrowly to a small number of franchises. These include Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends, as well as its Iron Man game developed by EA Motive and another Star Wars Jedi game.

As initially reported by Bloomberg, the Iron Man and now-cancelled Black Panther games were part of a three-game deal made between Marvel Comics and EA back in 2023. The third game in this deal has not yet been announced. As such, it is unclear which of EA’s studios would be working on it, which character it would focus on, or even if it is still in development or not. In 2024, EA CEO Andrew Wilson announced that EA would be “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry“. This suggests that after a number of high-profile sales disappointments, such as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Marvel’s Midnight Sons and Marvel’s Avengers, big-budget games based on superhero comic books are not a safe enough bet for video game executives right now.

As always, it is disappointing when studios close and promising projects are cancelled. Hopefully the affected employees are able to swiftly find new roles within EA and elsewhere. We will have to await more information regarding if the final game in the deal between EA and Marvel Comics is eventually announced.