Summary
- EA canceled the Black Panther game and shut down Cliffhanger Games, adding to a trend of superhero game cancellations.
- Despite Black Panther's cancellation, EA Motive's Iron Man game remains in development with the goal of original storytelling.
- Iron Man's future is uncertain, but with EA's continued partnership with Marvel, there is hope it will find success similar to Star Wars Jedi.
EA recently had to make a difficult decision, as the company has canceled the Black Panther game. This isn't the only bad news to come from EA, though. Cliffhanger Games, the developer under EA working on the game, was also shut down in the process. This continues an unfortunate trend within the superhero gaming niche, as projects like Monolith's Wonder Woman have also recently been canceled.
There is still a silver lining, though. According to EA's statement announcing Black Panther's cancellation, EA Motive's Iron Man remains in development. In recent years, EA has been busy expanding its portfolio by diving deeper into major franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. It actually seems that EA could be going through a phase of history repeating itself, as its Star Wars projects haven't always gone as smoothly, either. The Star Wars Jedi franchise has been quite successful, but when it comes to the now-canceled Project Ragtag, Black Panther finds itself with a similar fate that Iron Man can hopefully sidestep.
Star Wars Jedi Developer Morale is Reportedly at an 'All-Time Low'
Star Wars Jedi series developer Respawn Entertainment suffers a blow to morale following a recent game cancellation.
EA's Iron Man Hopefully Mirrors Star Wars Jedi Instead of Following in Black Panther and Project Ragtag's Footsteps
What Was Project Ragtag?
Project Ragtag was the codename for an EA-published Star Wars game that never came to fruition. There isn't much known about the game's finer details, but it was set to be a third-person shooter action adventure title with a linear narrative. Sadly, Project Ragtag was canceled after four years of development. Now, with Black Panther added to the list of once-promising game adaptations, Iron Man now has a lot of weight resting on its shoulders.
Project Ragtag was being led by Amy Hennig, the creator of the Uncharted franchise.
Project Ragtag Was Never Finished, But Star Wars Jedi Brought EA Plenty of Success
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came onto the scene in 2019, and it proved to be a huge hit for EA. There have now been two chapters in the Star Wars Jedi series, and while many are eager for a third entry, it's unclear when developer Respawn Entertainment will be ready to reveal the game.
However, with Black Panther being set aside, EA could experience some deja vu, as Iron Man is now in line to potentially repeat the success of Star Wars Jedi, just with a completely different franchise. According to EA's president Laura Miele, continuing the goal of "original storytelling with various, beloved Marvel characters" is still a big part of the company's plan, despite canceling one of the projects. EA and Marvel's partnership is still active, and that at least remains a good sign for Iron Man at the moment.
In recent years, EA has been busy expanding its portfolio by diving deeper into major franchises like Marvel and Star Wars.
There are even more Marvel games being developed outside of EA. These titles include Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Marvel's Wolverine, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and Marvel's Blade.
Iron Man's Future Remains Uncertain
Despite the confirmation from EA that Iron Man is still in development and the company's relationship with Marvel is still intact, there's no telling what the future of the project looks like. According to reports, the shut-down of Black Panther and Cliffhanger Games was a big surprise, so EA Motive hopefully doesn't have to face the same shock.
Of course, only time will tell. Between the cancellation of projects like Black Panther and Wonder Woman, superhero games are in a strange position at the moment. There are a lot of other Marvel games in production, so it will be interesting to see how many games get to cross the finish line, but it's hopefully all of them.
- Date Founded
- May 27, 1982
- Headquarters
- Redwood City, California, United States
- CEO
- Andrew Wilson
- Subsidiaries
- EA Sports, Respawn Entertainment, BioWare, EA Vancouver, DICE, Codemasters, EA Mobile
- Known For
- FIFA, EA Sports UFC, Battlefield, Dragon Age, The Sims