Nearly two years ago, at the time of this writing, EA and Cliffhanger Games officially confirmed the widespread rumors about a new Black Panther game. The team at Cliffhanger was reportedly developing a single-player, third-person action game featuring T’Challa as the protagonist.

Recently, IGN reported that EA has ceased development of the Black Panther game and closed down Cliffhanger Games. This marks the latest in a series of staffing reductions at EA, following the recent layoffs of 300-400 employees and the cancellation of a project at Respawn. Additionally, EA has announced plans to phase out its remote work policies and transition to an office-based model.

While the layoffs also impact members of EA’s mobile and central teams, the company has not disclosed the exact number of affected employees. In a message to employees, EA Entertainment President Laura Miele referred to these decisions as “difficult choices” made to “narrow our focus and channel our creative efforts toward our most promising opportunities.”

Miele also emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting affected employees, stating that EA is “doing everything we can to assist them, including exploring opportunities within the company.” Moving forward, EA’s Entertainment division plans to focus on key franchises like The Sims, Skate, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.

Respawn is still developing the next Star Wars Jedi game, and Motive Studio’s Iron Man project is still in the works. However, given EA’s recent shift away from licensed IP, as indicated by CEO Andrew Wilson’s comments last year, Miele’s assurances about the Iron Man game should be taken with a grain of salt.

The closure of Cliffhanger Games is particularly disheartening, as it represents the latest chapter in the story of Monolith Studios. Founded by former Monolith developers who created the beloved nemesis system in the Shadow of Mordor games, Cliffhanger’s dissolution marks another chapter in the decline of this storied studio.