EA has pulled the plug on its in-development Black Panther game and is closing Cliffhanger Games, the studio formed to build the project. The decision marks another high-profile retreat from costly, long-cycle AAA production as publishers continue tightening budgets across the industry.
### Black Panther Project Ends, Studio Closes
Cliffhanger Games was announced in 2023 as a new Seattle-based team tasked with creating an original, single-player Black Panther adventure. The studio was led by veteran developers with backgrounds on major action franchises, and the pitch leaned into a narrative-driven experience set in Wakanda—an attractive concept given Marvel’s global reach and the character’s popularity following the films.
EA’s cancellation means the Black Panther title will not move forward, and Cliffhanger will be shut down as part of the move. While EA has not detailed how much of the game was completed, the project had been positioned as a premium, story-focused release—exactly the kind of expensive bet publishers have been increasingly reluctant to sustain without clear progress and timelines.
### What Happens to EA’s Other Marvel Games?
Despite the Black Panther cancellation, EA’s broader partnership with Marvel remains active. The publisher is still backing at least one other major Marvel project: Motive Studio’s Iron Man game, which was previously confirmed as a single-player action title. In other words, this isn’t EA abandoning Marvel—it’s EA narrowing its focus.
That distinction matters, because EA has been building a small slate of licensed blockbuster games alongside its core sports and shooter businesses. Reducing the number of simultaneous AAA productions is a common way to control risk, especially when licensing costs, staffing, and longer development cycles can make these projects difficult to justify if they don’t hit internal milestones.
### Why This Matters
For players, it’s a frustrating outcome: Black Panther is one of Marvel’s most promising candidates for a big-budget action game, and cancellations like this leave fewer high-profile single-player superhero projects in the pipeline. For the market, it’s another sign that even globally recognizable IP isn’t a guarantee—publishers are increasingly willing to cut projects and close teams if the numbers don’t line up.
Source: |
Source: Read the full article here