A video game based on Marvel’s “Black Panther” franchise will reportedly no longer be made, as the game’s developer, Cliffhanger Games, has shut down.
According to Variety, a little less than 300 staffers were let go as part of the closure of Cliffhanger. The employees who were not fired will be reassigned to other teams throughout the EA company. The move was reportedly made to “sharpen the company’s focus” and shift creative efforts behind projects that are projected to have better “growth opportunities.”
The company will now focus on franchises such as “Battlefield,” “The Sims” and “Apex Legends.”
The “Black Panther” game was first announced in 2023 in celebration of the 57th anniversary of the comic books. The video game was helmed by Kevin Stephens, who previously worked on “Call of Duty” and “God of War.” The untitled project would have developed into a story-driven video game that offered players a third-person perspective on what it’s like to be Black Panther and protect Wakanda. If it had not been canceled, it would have been the first video game to feature Black Panther as the only main character.
“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,” said Stephens when the game was first announced. “We want our game to enable players to feel what it’s like to be worthy of the Black Panther mantle in unique, story-driven ways, and we want Cliffhanger Games to empower everyone on our team as we collaborate to bring this amazing world to life.”
Black Panther has previously made an appearance in a handful of ensemble video games. In 2006, Raven Software released “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance,” an action role-playing game that featured multiple Marvel superheroes such as Captain America, Black Panther and Winter Soldier. The plot centered on the S.H.I.E.L.D. team utilizing the aid of superheroes to defend themselves against an attack by Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil.
Black Panther also appeared in “Marvel Contest of Champions,” “Marvel: Avengers Alliance,” “Marvel Heroes” and “Lego Marvel Super Heroes.”
The character is also slated to appear in the “Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra” video game.
Set for release in 2026, the action-adventure game revolves around an alliance between Black Panther and Captain America as they work to defeat Hydra.
