Black Panther Was Cancelled Because 4 Years In Pre-Production Frustrated EA Executives

Expert Verified By

The Project Was Just Beginning To Pick Up Pace!

Story Highlight
  • EA recently cancelled Black Panther and shut down the cliffhanger studio.
  • The reason behind the cancellation was that the project had been stuck in pre-production for almost four years.
  • It was just beginning to pick up pace when EA decided to close the book on the matter. 

Earlier this week, EA announced the cancellation of the Black Panther game, which was a result of the company’s downsizing that previously also affected Respawn Entertainment. 

While Black Panther was looking to be an ambitious title, the reason behind the project’s cancellation was much deeper than just restructuring and cost-cutting. According to a new report, the game was stuck in pre-production for almost 4 years, which frustrated EA executives.

Why it matters: Normally, pre-production for a AAA game takes a year or two at most. Anything more than that would increase the development budget for the title, which could make it unlikely to succeed financially. 

ea games
EA To Layoff 400 Employees In Total This Year

This report comes straight from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. According to him, Black Panther only recently entered the ‘Gate’ phase, which EA refers to as a developmental milestone, where executives analyze the project and decide whether to continue or not.

It seems that EA executives didn’t like the pace of the project. The extensive pre-production phase was likely due to the fact that Cliffhanger Studios was just beginning to ramp up.

Black Panther Captain America Game Marvel
EA Currently Has 3 More Marvel Games In Development

The studio was just beginning to pick up the pace with the hiring of new workers. Some of them were a year old, and others were a few months or weeks old. As such, the cancellation of the title and layoffs came as shocking news to them.

Plot details for the title have also emerged and would’ve pitted one of the Black Panthers against the Skrulls, a formidable enemy race from the Marvel comics. The updated Nemesis system would’ve also played a part with enemies shapeshifting as allies, remembering moves, and so on. 

What are your thoughts on the cancellation of Black Panther? Let us know in the comments below or at the official Tech4Gamers Forums.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Valley of Memory Free DLC Offers 6+ Hours of New Gameplay

Assassin's Creed Mirage is getting a free DLC titled 'Valley of Memory', set to release later this year on November 18th.

Black Ops 7 Beta Struggles on Steam – Player Count Nearly 5x Lower Than Battlefield 6 Beta

According to SteamDB, Black Ops 7 beta player count only topped at about 100K players, compared to Battlefield 6 beta's over 500K.

Activision Claims 97% Of Black Ops 7 Cheaters Are Banned Within 30 Minutes

97% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 cheaters were banned within 30 minutes of signing in, while only 1% made it into the game.

Silent Hill 3 Remake Reportedly Coming in 2028 as Bloober Team Works on Resident Evil-Inspired New IP

Bloober Team is rumored to be working on a Silent Hill 3 remake and a new Resident Evil-inspired IP, with releases expected in 2026 and 2028.

Battlefield 6: EA Promises 120 FPS Performance on Consoles and Free DLC Support

Battlefield 6 to support 120FPS, and alongside, EA to give out a free DLC titled 'Covert Operations' during Season 1.