EA cancels Black Panther recreation and closes studio growing it

EA is cancelling its Black Panther recreation and shutting the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Video games, as half of a bigger spherical of layoffs on the firm, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure recreation was originally announced in July 2023 as one in every of a number of Marvel tasks being developed at EA studios.

IGN writes {that a} smaller variety of persons are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, however EA continues to be eliminating roles outdoors of Cliffhanger, together with individuals on the writer’s “cellular and central groups.” EA is reportedly telling workers that the layoffs are a option to “sharpen our focus and put our artistic power behind probably the most vital development alternatives.”

As of proper now, these “alternatives” embody an Iron Man game in improvement at EA Motive, the following Star Wars Jedi recreation from Respawn, and new entries in a couple of key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Past that, the corporate has EA Sports activities and the following Mass Impact recreation, although Bioware has gone via multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there’s uncertainty there, too. In an identical option to the way it approached Bioware’s restructuring, IGN stories that EA is looking for roles for at the very least some Cliffhanger Video games workers in different elements of the corporate.

Engadget has contacted EA for remark and can replace this text if we hear again.

EA rising disinterest in licensed video games as been public since at the very least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the corporate was “shifting away from improvement of future licensed IP that we don’t imagine shall be profitable in our altering business.” The corporate lately introduced a brand new technique recreation utilizing the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — however that appears extra like an outlier than the norm.

EA’s Black Panther recreation wasn’t the one venture that includes the character — Amy Hennig’s Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn’t been cancelled but — but it surely does appears unusual the corporate gave up so simply. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion throughout its authentic run in theaters. It appears totally attainable the identical viewers that loved the film would present up for a brand new recreation that includes their favourite Marvel character.