Why Marvel's Black Panther Video Game Was Canceled By EA

Superhero movies are on the brink. What was recently the dominant form of cinematic output, the boon and bane of every studio in Hollywood, has become the source of endless disappointment, with a few remaining exceptions. We have argued in the past that superhero movies should take a break, but while Hollywood doesn't seem to care as long as they continue to have hope that the next "Avengers: Endgame" is right around the corner, the situation in the world of video games is different.

Earlier this year, we learned that video game publisher Electronic Arts games had canceled a Black Panther game from developer Cliffhanger Games, based on one of the best-received Marvel movies of all time, an absolute triumph of superhero filmmaking. Not only is the game never seeing the light of day, but EA also shut down the entire developer studio.

According to IGN, the reasoning behind the cancelation of the game was EA's desire to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities," according to a statement by EA Games. In shutting down the studio, EA laid off dozens of people in addition to the roughly 300 jobs they had already cut earlier in the year across studio Respawn and EA's Fan Care teams.

What makes the news even more confounding is that Black Panther was meant to be part of a three-game deal between EA and Marvel, a deal that also included a previously announced Iron Man game and a third, unannounced title. Here's what we know about the cancelled Black Panther project: It was meant to be a single-player, open-world, action-adventure game. According to Bloomberg, the game would have included several playable characters, from T'Challa to Shuri and even his son Azari, and a fight against Skrulls invading Wakanda. The Skrulls would be posing as allies, with the player forming relationships with other non-playable heroes and NPCs in Wakanda. There would apparently be a system similar to the Nemesis System from the "Middle-earth: Shadow" games.

This is not the first high-profile game EA has canceled this year. Just a month before scrapping Black Panther, EA also shut down the development of a new Titanfall game. Earlier this year, the publisher also restructured BioWare, laying off employees. In the past two years alone, EA has cut over 1,000 jobs across its studios.

And yet, according to IGN, EA promises it will definitely not cancel Motive's Iron Man game, and it is still determined to release the third Star Wars: Jedi game. Still, they say they will focus on a smaller number of franchises. As for the Marvel deal, EA and Marvel say it wasn't affected by this cancelation.

It's not like there's a shortage of Marvel superhero games in development. The developer of Dishonored and Deathloop, Arkane, is working on a Blade game. Meanwhile, Insomniac Games is still doing a Wolverine game, while presumably also continuing its Spider-Man game series (we reviewed the first installment here). As for Black Panther, he's still teaming up with Captain America in the Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra video game.

Still, this is definitely a sign of worrying times, both for games and the entertainment industry as a whole. Video game studios, not just EA, are cutting jobs left and right alongside the crumbling of the superhero dominance, with Marvel Studios promising to slow down their output significantly. Don't be surprised if this isn't the last instance of a major game being scrapped in the coming months.