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Black Panther Game Canceled After Four Years in Pre-Production by EA

BBG News

Previously, Electronic Arts announced the termination of their Black Panther game and the shutdown of Cliffhanger Games. However, according to recent revelations by Jason Schreier from Bloomberg, we now understand why the game was abandoned, which wasn’t due to a disagreement over creative direction or Marvel licensing problems.

Reports from reliable sources indicate that the studio struggled to move beyond the early stages of production for over four years when it came to creating the “Black Panther” video game.

EA Lost Patience After Years of Delay

In 2021, Cliffhanger Games was founded, with Kevin Stephens – a former producer of “Shadow of Mordor” – leading the team and aiming to create a high-quality, single-player “Black Panther” game under EA’s Originals label. Although the project was announced in 2023 and achieved a significant internal milestone not long ago, it has yet to move beyond pre-production – a phase that typically lasts from 12 to 18 months in AAA development.

According to what was written by Schreier, the leaders of EA were annoyed because the game hadn’t moved out of the initial creation stage even after almost four years of work, as confirmed by sources close to the situation.

A significant number of Cliffhanger’s developers were recently hired, and some had barely spent time at the studio before the sudden closure occurred. This unexpected termination left the staff taken aback, as indications suggested that Electronic Arts (EA) had been progressively worried about the project’s progression rate.

EA Says Marvel Deal Is Still Strong

According to comments made to Insider Gaming, EA confirmed that their partnership with Marvel continues to progress.

They stated that our relationship with Marvel stays robust, and we’re moving forward with a multi-project, extended agreement.

The agreement encompasses additional projects under development, including the Iron Man game by EA Motive. However, due to the closure of Cliffhanger Games, Black Panther will not be included in the upcoming plans.

Public Scrutiny Around Narrative Team

Although EA hasn’t implied that internal disputes impacted their decision, the studio has been under increasing public examination lately concerning the social media past and employment methods of certain Cliffhanger team members.

2023 saw Cliffhanger welcoming Dani Lalonders, a previous contributor to Sweet Baby Inc., as their associate narrative designer. In a re-shared 2021 discussion from the Game Devs of Color Expo, Lalonders highlighted that her indie game team for ValiDate, at that time, consisted entirely of non-White individuals.

She stated, “The ValiDate team is composed entirely of individuals of diverse ethnicities.” She further explained, “Our team does not include any members who are white. This was intentionally done to foster a secure and inclusive work environment.

In my own words, I’d say Lalonder clarified that her choice was guided by a desire to steer clear of “subtle insults” and work-related disagreements. However, her remarks were labeled as biased, with some pointing out an old post on X where she acknowledged having prejudices in response to criticism.

“So what now?” she asked the critic.

Despite her subsequent explanation that the remark was misunderstood and stressing she didn’t hold hiring power at Cliffhanger, the comments still attracted undesired spotlight towards the studio.

Simultaneously, Senior Writer Alexa Ray Corriea faced backlash after she openly supported a controversial post written by the former editor of Kotaku, Alyssa Mercante, which stated “I do not endorse all gamers. The majority of you exhibit bigotry.

Corriea reposted the remark, saying, “Need this on a shirt.”

Eventually, Corriea removed the post without providing additional remarks, but the dialogue spread rapidly and fueled worries that some members of Cliffhanger’s storytelling unit may have disrespectful attitudes towards the larger gaming public.

It appears that the reason behind EA’s decision to halt the production of Black Panther wasn’t due to public uproar, but rather because of development setbacks. Yet, all the buzz around these events has seemingly amplified concerns and negatively impacted the project’s image over time.

Final Thoughts

In an industry where production budgets for top-tier projects are escalating and the tolerance for delays is dwindling, even Marvel’s Black Panther struggled under a pre-production halt of almost four years. It seems that Electronic Arts (EA) took a decisive business move—severing ties with a studio that, despite recent recruitment efforts, was unable to progress quickly enough.

Despite the staff controversy at Cliffhanger not necessarily leading to the project’s cancellation, it undeniably had an adverse impact on the studio’s reputation, particularly when under heightened public scrutiny.

With EA shifting their attention towards different Marvel ventures, the tale of Black Panther stands as a reminder of the complexities surrounding deadlines, anticipation, and public perception that may shape a team’s image even before the unveiling of a solitary teaser.

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2025-06-02 17:56

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