In 2022, Marvel andElectronic Artsagreed to a “multi-title collaboration.” The studio would developthree games basedon iconic Marvel superheroes. Two have been announced: an Iron Man game developed by EA Motive and a Black Panther game from Cliffhanger Games.
We know that the Iron Man game will be open world, but beyond that, there has been radio silence on both titles. Until today, that is.
IGNis reporting that EA has canceled the Black Panther title and closed Cliffhanger Games.
GDC Survey Shows More Game Developers Are Impacted By Layoffs Than Ever Before
The recent Game Designers Conference survey for this year shows, among other shocking statistics, that 41% of staff feel impacted by layoffs.
“These decisions are hard,” EA Entertainment president Laura Mimele said in an email to staff. “They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from, and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles.”
Miele also mentions that this decision is being made to put their creative efforts and energy into other opportunities.
EA Cancelling the Black Panther Game Comes Following Layoffs at Respawn Entertainment
The cancellation of Black Panther andthe closure of Cliffhanger Games come after a month oflayoffs at Respawn Entertainment. The studio is best known for the Titanfall franchise and thepopular Battle Royale Apex Legends. EA also announced thecancellation of the EA Sports WRC, formerly known as DiRT.
With every news of cancellations and layoffs, EA stresses that they’re looking to focus on other, more “strategic” opportunities. One of those is Star Wars. Given the recent success of Star Wars: Battlefront 2, EA could be eyeing bringing it back.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Has Almost Doubled Its Long-Standing Steam Player Count Peak As Fanbase Pushes For A Sequel
EA’s Battlefront 2 has seen a massive resurgence in popularity as fans clamor for a third game.
The Battlefront 2 development team would love toget the band back together, but that seems more like a pipe dream than anything else. Given the state of the industry, though, which has been dominated by layoffs and return-to-office mandates, it’s hard to say what the future of Battlefront, or any EA franchise, will look like.Even games that are critical and commercial successes, likeMarvel Rivals,haven’t been immune to layoffs.
