EAs Restructuring Strikes Again: Black Panther Game Canceled Amid Job Cuts

Electronic Arts is continuing its restructuring efforts, and this time it has impacted the developers of the Black Panther game. Cliffhanger Games has been shut down, and EA is working to find new positions within the company for the affected employees.

The Black Panther game was first announced in 2023, coinciding with the establishment of Cliffhanger Games, which was formed as part of EA’s collaboration with Marvel for multiple projects. Little is known about the game beyond it being a single-player action-adventure set in an open world. Kevin Stevens, who previously oversaw the development of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War at Monolith Productions, was leading the project. A large portion of the laid-off team had also worked on the Middle-earth series.

This marks the third round of layoffs at EA this year. Previously, the company restructured BioWare, resulting in some job losses while reallocating others to different projects. In April, EA let go of approximately 300 employees, with 100 of those working at Respawn on an unannounced extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe, which has now also been canceled. By 2024, a total of 670 employees had been let go across the company.

Earlier, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company would «move away from developing future licensed IPs that they believe may not thrive in the ever-evolving industry.»

According to a recent communication sent to employees by Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment, the company will focus on its core franchises, which include Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. Miele also emphasized the importance of future games in the Star Wars: Jedi and Mass Effect series. Additionally, the Iron Man project from Motive is still in development.