A Black Panther action game that was in development at Electronic Arts has been killed and the studio behind it is no more. The Madden publisher announced it’s shutting down Cliffhanger Games, previously formed by ex-Monolith Productions leadership, according to a new report by IGN.
EA Entertainment president Laura Miele wrote to staff that the cuts were being instituted to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities,” based on an email viewed by IGN. A Black Panther game was previously revealed to be in production at Cliffhanger back in 2023, but with no specific details about what kind of gameplay it would include or when it might launch. Newly shared concept art suggests the game would focus on T’Challa’s son and other playable characters dealing with a Skrull invasion.
The studio was formed by Kevin Stephens, former head of Monolith Productions, which made Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and other veterans of the studio after work on a new IP, codenamed Legacy, was killed by leadership at Warner Bros. Games in 2021. Monolith subsequently went on to work on a Wonder Woman game before being shut down as well earlier this year.
“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” Stephens said last year. “Wakanda is a rich Super Hero 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.”
These new layoffs at EA come after significant cuts at Respawn Entertainment and in other areas of the publisher while it focuses on its core cash cows like The Sims and EA Sports FC and shifts away from new projects and spin-offs, including a Titanfall project that was reportedly in very early development. The publisher recently promised a 2.0-level refresh of Apex Legends to investors, and confirmed that Battlefield 6 will be arriving before the end of March 2026.
EA also has an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive. Miele reportedly reassured staff in her email that the company remained behind that project as well as the third game in the Star Wars Jedi trilogy. The publisher had deal with Disney to deliver three games based on the company’s Marvel characters. EA told IGN that remains the plan, leaving it on the hook for two more projects after Iron Man, which also still doesn’t have a release date, comes out.
Update 5/29/2025 5:40 p.m. ET: Added possible concept art and information about three-game Disney deal.
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