EA is cancelling its Black Panther game and closing the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a larger round of layoffs at the company, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure game was originally announced in July 2023 as one of several Marvel projects being developed at EA studios.
IGN writes that a smaller number of people are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, but EA is still eliminating roles outside of Cliffhanger, including people on the publisher's "mobile and central teams." EA is reportedly telling staff that the layoffs are a way to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."
As of right now, those "opportunities" include an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive, the next Star Wars Jedi game from Respawn, and new entries in a few key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Beyond that, the company has EA Sports and the next Mass Effect game, though Bioware has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there's uncertainty there, too. In a similar way to how it approached Bioware's restructuring, IGN reports that EA is trying to find roles for at least some Cliffhanger Games staff in other parts of the company.
Engadget has contacted EA for comment and will update this article if we hear back.
EA growing disinterest in licensed games as been public since at least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company was "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry." The company recently announced a new strategy game using the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — but that seems more like an outlier than the norm.
EA's Black Panther game wasn't the only project featuring the character — Amy Hennig's Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn't been cancelled yet — but it does seems strange the company gave up so easily. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion during its original run in theaters. It seems entirely possible the same audience that enjoyed the movie would show up for a new game featuring their favorite Marvel character.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-cancels-black-panther-game-and-closes-studio-developing-it-213258110.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-cancels-black-panther-game-and-closes-studio-developing-it-213258110.html?src=rssLogin to add comment
Other posts in this group
A nearly year-old Facebook event for a "simple maths competition" has been one of the most viral posts on the platform for six months. The "event" racked up about 51 million views on Facebook durin
Tinder helped popularize a modern dating culture that puts looks first, and now the app is trying out a new way to capitalize on it. As part of a test, select Tinder Gold and Tinder Platinum subscr
YouTube Shorts is beta testing the addition of Google Lens. Integrating this tech into the short-form video platform will allow viewers to search for more information about what they can see in a c
J Allard, a former Microsoft executive and the mind behind the Zune, is leadin
