Another round of layoffs has hit Electronic Arts, this time resulting in the closure of developer Cliffhanger Games and the cancellation of the studio's Black Panther game.
First announced back in 2023, it was envisioned as an open-world, third-person, single-player action-adventure set in Wakanda. Most of what we knew about the game was learned through job listings, as EA shared very little official information.
Development of the game was led by Kevin Stephens (Monolith Productions) at Cliffhanger Games, a triple-A development studio based in Seattle that was formed specifically for the game. The team was comprised of industry veterans who had worked on top franchises like Halo Infinite, God of War, and Call of Duty. Cliffhanger Games was working in partnership with Marvel Games "to ensure that we craft every aspect of Wakanda, its technology, its heroes, and our own original story with the attention to detail and authenticity that the world of Black Panther deserves."
Alas, the highly anticipated project is now just the latest casualty of EA's layoffs. According to IGN, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele had sent an email to staff explaining that these changes, alongside other recent cancellations and layoffs, are being done to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."
"These decisions are hard," Miele wrote. "They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from, and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles."
This latest round of layoffs comes just a month after EA had cut roughly 300 roles across Respawn and the company's Fan Car teams. EA did not share a specific number, although IGN reports that the number of affected individuals -- which also includes those on EA's mobile and central teams -- is less than last month.
In the email, Miele states that EA will focus on a small handful of franchises moving forward, including Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. EA Motive's Iron Man game as well as the third installment in the hugely successful Star Wars: Jedi franchise have not been affected.
EA's decision to cancel the Black Panther game may come as a surprise to many, especially as he is one of Marvel's most popular superheroes, but it's not totally unexpected for anyone who caught CEO Andrew Wilson's comments last year. Offering an update on EA's business in February 2024, Wilson stated that EA would be moving away from licensed IP to focus on its owned IP instead.
We are also sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry. This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation, and double down on our biggest opportunities — including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities — to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow.
A bit odd to think that a game featuring one of Marvel's biggest heroes wouldn't be successful in the current gaming climate, don't you think?