Summary
- EA’s choice to cancel the Black Panther game and close Cliffhanger Games reportedly shocked many employees.
- Insiders indicate that the studio was still hiring for the project until the last moment, and EA had recently approved its ongoing production.
- Some EA executives expressed frustration over the game’s stagnation in pre-production for four years.
Electronic Arts’ decision to cancel its Black Panther game surprised many at Cliffhanger Games, as reported in a recent exposé highlighting several reasons why the development team believed their project was safe up until the very end. The Seattle-based studio was announced in July 2023, with the Black Panther title confirmed as its first project. Less than two years later, EA declared it would shut down the studio and cancel the title. A leaked email from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele pointed to a need to realign resources towards more promising growth opportunities as the rationale for their decision.
Many staff members at Cliffhanger were reportedly blindsided by this news, echoing the surprise expressed by fans. Insiders informed Jason Schreier of Bloomberg that the team was actively looking to fill roles right up until the announcement. Additionally, EA had just reviewed the project and allowed it to continue, marking a significant checkpoint in the development cycle.
Despite Cliffhanger’s Black Panther title being shelved indefinitely, Marvel’s iconic character remains set to feature in an upcoming video game. Skydance New Media’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is on track for an early 2026 release, based on a 2010 comic series.
