EA Cancels Black Panther Game, Closes Its Developer, And Lays Off Additional Staff
EA is cancelling Black Panther and closing its developer, Cliffhanger.
Electronic Arts has confirmed it's cancelling its upcoming Black Panther game and closing its developer. Cliffhanger Games, which was only opened in 2023 to make the Black Panther game, is now shuttered. EA previously signed a deal with Marvel for multiple games, and an Iron Man title is still coming.
EA boss Laura Miele said in a memo obtained by IGN that the company is cancelling the game and closing the studio to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."
Additionally, EA is laying off staff on its mobile and "central" teams, though the exact number of affected staff is unknown. This follows on from a previous round of layoffs in April that affected around 300 people and led to the reported cancellation of a Titanfall game.
"These decisions are hard," Miele said in a memo 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."
In 2024, EA laid off nearly 700 people and said it wasn't sure how much more it would invest in licensed IP going forward. Due to this commentary, some wondered if any of EA's Marvel projects would be affected. EA previously signed a multi-game deal with Marvel, and now, the only confirmed project from that partnership is a new Iron Man game from Motive Studio. When the deal was announced, EA said it covered at least three games.
Cliffhanger was led by Kevin Stephens, who oversaw the production of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Monolith Productions. He joined EA in 2021. Other members of the team at Cliffhanger worked on Halo, God of War, and Call of Duty.
It is unknown how far along in development the Black Panther game was. When the game and the studio were announced in 2023, EA said the game was "still in early development with a long road ahead." EA and Cliffhanger were attempting to make what they said was a "definitive and authentic Black Panther experience."
Outside of EA's superhero games, Warner Bros. was making a Wonder Woman game based on the iconic DC character, but that game was also canceled.
Going forward, Miele said that EA would focus on Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends, while development will continue on Iron Man and the next Star Wars: Jedi game. EA's mobile game projects remain intact, while BioWare continues to make the next Mass Effect as well. And of course, EA's sports catalog will continue as well, including EA Sports FC, Madden, College Football, and NHL.
Despite all of EA's recent layoffs and closures, the company's headcount continues to grow. As of March 2025, EA had more than 800 additional people on staff than it did the same time a year prior.
EA is making these dramatic cuts and closures as the company rakes in money. For the last three months alone, EA pulled in $1.9 billion in revenue and made a profit of $254 million. For the latest fiscal year, however, EA's revenue slid from $7.562 billion to $7.463 billion, with net profit falling from $1.273 billion to $1.121 billion.
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