The first major game centered on Marvel’s Black Panther will let you unfurl your claws and assume the mantle of Wakanda’s superhero protector… in a few years.
Electronic Arts announced Cliffhanger Games, its new triple-A development studio based in Seattle, is working on a third-person, single-player Black Panther game in collaboration with Marvel Games. EA doesn’t have an expected release date for the title at this point, saying “we’re still early in development with a long road ahead.”
“If you’re looking to take on an incredible next career move, we invite you to join our team, which we will be building over the next few years,” EA said in a blog post announcing Cliffhanger.
EA doesn’t have specific plot points to share about the forthcoming title, either, but the company said that it is working with Marvel Games “to ensure that we craft every aspect of Wakanda, its technology, its heroes and our own original story with the attention to detail and authenticity that the world of Black Panther deserves.”
Cliffhanger is led by Kevin Stephens (Monolith Productions), who has recruited talent from action-adventure game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, along with veterans of top franchises including Halo Infinite, God of War and Call of Duty, according to EA.
“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” Stephens said in a statement. “Wakanda is a rich superhero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do.” He added, “It’s an incredibly rare opportunity to build a new team around the values of diversity, collaboration and empowerment.”
EA’s announcement of Cliffhanger Games and the Black Panther game comes as Marvel celebrates the 57th anniversary of Black Panther’s comic debut. Marvel Studios’ 2018 film “Black Panther” starring Chadwick Boseman generated an estimated $1.35 billion at the global box officer, and the 2022 sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” pulled in $859 million worldwide.
