Summary
Electronic Arts’ decision to cancel itsBlack Panthergame reportedly came as a surprise to many employees at Cliffhanger Games. That’s according to a new exposé that outlines several key reasons why Cliffhanger staffers believed theirBlack Pantherproject was safe and on track until the very last moment.
The establishment of the Seattle-based Cliffhanger was officially announced in July 2023, withtheBlack Panthergame confirmed as the studio’s first project. Less than two years later, EA announced it was closing its subsidiary and canceling its sole title. A leaked email from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele cited a desire to refocus the company’s resources on “the most significant growth opportunities” as the main reason for the decision.
Many Cliffhanger staffers were just as surprised to learn of this development as the fans,Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports, citing sources close to the situation. The employees’ “shock” stemmed from several factors. Notably, Cliffhanger was actively hiring for multiple roles right up untillearning that itsBlack Panthergame was canceledand its fate sealed. Additionally, EA executives had recently reviewed the project’s status and approved it to move forward; sources familiar with the process described this review as a “gate”—a key milestone in every EA development cycle.
Cliffhanger Staffers Believed Black Panther Game Was Coming Together Well
As EA’s seal of approval suggests, the project was coming together well, Schreier’s sources claim. Separately, other insiders cited in the exposé said some EA executives were frustrated that the game had yet to leave pre-production. For context, although Cliffhanger was only publicly announced in July 2023, development had begun roughly two years earlier—meaning the project had been underway for about four years before its cancellation.
This disconnect between the perceptions of EA leadership and Cliffhanger developers ostensibly contributed to aBlack Panthergame concept artleak shortly after news of the studio’s closure emerged. While EA has stated it will seek to reassign the studio’s staff before resorting to layoffs, the possibility remains that additional project materials could be leaked by disgruntled employees.
Although Cliffhanger’sBlack Panthertitle will never see the light of day, Marvel’s iconic character is still set to appear in a near-future video game. Skydance New Media’sMarvel 1943: Rise of Hydrarecently received a status update, with publisher Plaion announcing a planned release in early 2026. Based on the 2010 limited comic seriesCaptain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, the Unreal Engine 5-powered action-adventure was originally scheduled for a holiday 2025 launch before slipping into the following year.
