The Marvel Universe is expanding, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The superhero giant is now looking to take over the video game world after reaching unprecedented levels of success both on the big screen and comic book pages. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel Rivals were just the first in a new wave of titles coming soon to consoles. In 2025, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will finally hit shelves, followed by the likes of EA Motive's Iron Man and Marvel's Blade at a later date. But perhaps more exciting enough is the impending arrival of the King of Wakanda.
Back in July 2023, Marvel revealed it would collaborate with EA's new studio, Cliffhanger Games, to create a Black Panther game. While not much was unveiled right out of the bag, it was promised this new title would give us "more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game". There was a lot of speculation over how a single-player, narrative-driven game could achieve such levels of freedom, and it appears our days of living in the dark are finally over.
New details of Cliffhanger's Black Panther reportedly revealed
According to renowned Call of Duty leaker, TheGhostOfHope, players will be able to choose who the next Black Panther is going to be in Cliffhanger's upcoming title. The options include big Marvel characters such as T'Challa, M'Baku, Azari, Shuri, Killmonger, and more. This decision won't be visual only, as "weapons, armors, and gadgets are unique to each Black Panther", which adds a lot of replay value right out of the gate.
On the same page, it's claimed that the game's stories and missions will be dependent on the player's actions, meaning every playthrough has the chance to be completely unique.
An interesting analysis by Wccftech highlights that some developers working on Cliffhanger's Black Panther were once a part of Monolith Productions — a recently closed studio known for its Nemesis System, which tracked the player's every action allowing for unique NPC interactions. While Warner patented the system until 2036, Wccftech theorizes that we could be looking at a more advanced variation that allows for greater narrative freedom while playing the game. During an investor livestream, EA revealed that this newest technology will be used across many games throughout its different studios, which is a very promising sign. With that in mind, all pieces are in place for the upcoming Black Panther game to replicate some of the magic that made Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor so special.
Furthermore, it's reported that Cliffhanger's Black Panther will feature many explorable cities and savannahs, be a third-person game, and attempt to replicate authentic African Martial Arts. Coupled with the fact that the game will feature an open world, it looks like EA has very high ambitions for its upcoming Marvel title.
Unfortunately, no release window has been revealed, but we shouldn't expect it to arrive before 2027 at the earliest considering the lengthy development times for AAA games. However, all signs suggest players will be able to traverse the futuristic city of Wakanda while making true, lasting story decisions once that day comes, which is nothing short of exciting. And who knows? Knowing that EA is also working on an Iron Man game, perhaps we could be looking at the first steps towards creating an Avengers game that isn't as shallow as the one made by Crystal Dynamics. Only time will tell how things will pan out for the studio but one thing's for sure: Things are looking bright for Cliffhanger's Black Panther.