EA cancels Black Panther game

EA’s Black Panther game has been cancelled. According to reporting from IGN, EA announced the news via an email to employees. IGN also reports that as a result of the cancellation, Cliffhanger Studios has been shut down.

Cliffhanger Studios was a new games studio created to develop Black Panther and run by Kevin Stephens who was the studio head for the now shuttered Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor developer Monolith Studios. Beyond an initial announcement in 2023, all that was known of Black Panther was that it was a single-player game with an original narrative and developed in collaboration with Marvel Studios. EA and Marvel announced a three-game partnership deal in 2022. In addition to Black Panther, the other two games in the deal was an Iron Man title currently in production at Motive Studios, and an as-yet unannounced action game.

According to IGN, the cancellation comes with layoffs in other sectors of EA’s business. The publisher recently announced an RTO mandate requiring employees come in at least three days a week and a round of layoffs occurred earlier this year impacting between 300 and 400 employees. The Verge has reached out to EA for comment.

The game’s cancellation does not spell the end for the hope of a Black Panther led title. Over at Skybound Entertainment, Amy Henning and team are working on Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra which features Captain America and Black Panther as playable characters.