EA Abandons 'Ambitious' Black Panther Game: Developer's Heartbreak

EA has announced the cancellation of its Black Panther game and the closure of Cliffhanger Games, the studio behind it. The news has sparked reactions across social media from developers, fans, and industry insiders alike.

Very little was revealed about the Black Panther project since its initial announcement in 2023. However, we do know that [ttpp] it was to be a single-player, action-adventure, open-world game. Cliffhanger Games, the studio formed in 2023 and led by Kevin Stephens, was at the helm of development. The team included veterans from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, raising expectations for a unique and story-rich experience built around the Nemesis System legacy.

In an internal email addressed to staff and reviewed by IGN, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele explained that these changes—including the shutdown of Cliffhanger and other recent cancellations—are part of a larger strategy to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."

The Black Panther game logo. Image credit: EA.

Miele acknowledged the emotional impact of the decision, stating, “These decisions are hard. 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.”

Following the news, current and former EA developers took to social media to express their disappointment and pay tribute to the now-canceled project.

Concept artist Karla Ortiz, who worked on the game, shared her feelings: “I was a part of this incredible crew. We were working on such an amazing and stunning game—detailed, rich, beautiful. It breaks my heart the world won’t see it.”

She continued, “It also breaks my heart to say goodbye to the team. What an honor to work with you all. What a sad day... every dev there wanted so badly to release the game. It was beautiful and such great care was given. We were so excited to show the world! It was truly special. All I can say is that we had something phenomenal.”

Freddie Lee, Senior Environment Architect II at Cliffhanger, said, “Welp, this happened today. It has to be said that during my short time there, I've had the honor and pleasure to work with people like Karla, whose art inspired myself and the team, and also instilled confidence and growth into my professional artwork. This team was, and is, GOAT.”

Lee added, “It took us by complete surprise.”

Game designer Sophie Mallinson tweeted, “This is a ✧˖° dream team °˖✧ and you should snap up anyone who was working on this project. So sad that we might not ever get to see a Black Panther ARPG developed by the creators of the Nemesis System!!”

Rayme Vinson, former Respawn developer and now Principal Technical Designer at Gravity Well, commented on the potential he saw in the game: “When they shut down the Star Wars FPS, we got to see this game up close and talk to their dev team because they could take on some of our folks. What they were building was ambitious and special, and I was legitimately excited to play it someday—even if they'd only done 1/4 of what they planned.”

Patrick Wren, Senior Encounter Designer on Jedi Survivor at Respawn, noted, “Morale has been at an all-time low. I can say that much.”

This wave of layoffs and project cancellations is part of a broader trend at EA in 2025. Just last month, approximately 300 employees were laid off, including around 100 at Respawn, alongside the cancellation of an in-development Titanfall title and another incubation project. Earlier this year, BioWare underwent restructuring, with some developers reassigned while others lost their roles. In 2024, a major company-wide restructuring led to 670 job cuts, including roughly two dozen at Respawn. And in 2023, around 50 jobs were eliminated at BioWare and an undisclosed number at Codemasters.

Looking ahead, EA has confirmed it will focus its resources on a core group of franchises: Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. The company remains committed to the development of the Iron Man game at Motive Studios, the next Star Wars: Jedi installment, and ongoing mobile game operations. Meanwhile, Bioware continues work on the next entry in the Mass Effect series. EA Sports, which manages popular titles like FC and Madden, operates as a separate division from EA Entertainment.