A difficult period for the gaming industry just got tougher. Electronic Arts (EA) has officially canceled the Black Panther video game and shut down its developer as part of a broader strategy to focus on key franchises.

This move comes alongside a new wave of layoffs, though reports suggest it will not be as large as the previous round.

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The Black Panther project was first announced in 2023 as part of a three-game deal with Marvel.

Black Panther project shelved, studio closed

As first reported on IGN, the news came in an internal email from Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment. The note confirmed the cancellation of Black Panther and the closure of the studio dedicated to it, Cliffhanger Games, citing a lack of alternate projects to sustain the team.

"These decisions are hard," Miele wrote. "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."

The Black Panther game, announced in 2023, was one of three Marvel titles in the works at EA, alongside an Iron Man entry and another project that remains under wraps.

EA repositions around core franchises

As part of its ongoing restructuring, EA is narrowing its focus to certain franchises that have proven long-term success. According to Miele, the current strategy centers around titles like The Sims, Battlefield, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi 3, and the recently released Skate.

Miele also confirmed that the Iron Man game from EA Motive is still moving forward, though recent decisions suggest that even high-profile titles are not immune to cancellation.

The announcement unfortunately also included details of another round of layoffs, though this one is expected to affect fewer employees than the previous cuts, which saw more than 300 people lose their jobs.

In that earlier round just a couple of weeks ago, EA canceled multiple projects from Respawn Entertainment and dramatically downsized racing game studio Codemasters.