There was a time when any big Marvel project seemed like the safest of bets. Fans would be excited regardless of whether the Marvel Cinematic Universe was launching an anticipated theatrical movie or if a video game studio was working on a title featuring an iconic character from the franchise. All eyes were set on what the superhero giant would do next, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. However, things have been a bit more shaky over the last few years.
The MCU has cancelled acclaimed projects, shifted its plans, and lost its long-standing impeccable critic record with the arrival of its fourth phase. On the other hand, the superhero video game industry suffered the moment Marvel's Avengers failed to meet expectations, forever tarnishing the image of other upcoming titles such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, amidst speculation, a highly anticipated video game has been officially canceled despite being developed for nearly two years.
EA's Black Panther game canceled as its studio shuts down
As reported by IGN, Electronic Arts has officially canceled its planned Black Panther game, which was officially announced back on Jul. 10, 2023. Newly-founded developer Cliffhanger Games—created specifically to helm this title—is also being shut down. Furthermore, EA is laying off people from their mobile and central teams, all part of a restructuring that will see the company focus on just a few key franchises in the future, including Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi franchise.
EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, gave more insight as to why Black Panther's planned title didn't come to fruition in an official statement on 2024:
"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."
This statement could also put into question the future of EA Motive's Iron Man, which has been in development since 2022, as well as a third-unannounced game which was supposed to come from the collaboration between the video game company and Marvel. However, EA president Laura Miele stated that their "partnership with Marvel remains strong and our multi-title, long-term collaboration continues". She also confirmed that the Iron Man game is still in development, though general audiences have yet to see a first look at it. At the time being, it remains unclear which other Marvel titles will come as part of the collaboration.
While not a lot was revealed about the Black Panther game, it was intended to be a single-player adventure that would give players "more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game". It was later reported that players would've been able to pick and choose who would become the next Black Panther in the title, with T'Challa, M'Baku, Azari, Shuri, and Killmonger being some of the options, each having different weapons, armors, and gadgets.
Cliffhanger's Black Panther would've also delivered on the promise of letting players explore many cities and savannahs. After all, Wakanda was described as "a rich Super Hero sandbox" when the game was first announced. Unfortunately, players will never get to see any of these promises in action (unless development footage makes its way online). So, for the time being, the recently delayed Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is the closest Marvel video game adventure coming our way, unless Insomniac surprises us all with a Marvel's Wolverine release date this year (though that seems unlikely, but a full reveal this year is still a possibility).