If you're a fan of video games, you've probably heard the news that Electronic Arts (EA) is making some significant changes to its plans. According to reports from IGN, EA has decided to cancel its highly anticipated Black Panther game and shut down the studio responsible for its development, Cliffhanger Games. In an internal email, EA Entertainment President Laura Miele explained these decisions are part of a broader strategy to concentrate resources on what the company sees as its most promising growth areas.
Cliffhanger Games, which was established in 2023 and brought together talent from notable titles like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, has been disbanded. The Black Panther project joins a growing list of canceled initiatives, and along with these changes, some employees from EA's mobile and central teams are also being let go. While EA hasn't provided exact numbers regarding the layoffs, sources indicate the total is lower than the approximately 300 positions cut last month across Respawn and EA's Fan Care teams.
Miele emphasized in her email that these decisions are difficult but necessary for focusing efforts on key franchises like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. She also confirmed that investments will continue in upcoming titles such as the next Iron Man game at Motive Studios and the third Star Wars: Jedi installment. Despite the cuts, EA plans to keep its mobile gaming segment active and maintain progress on the next Mass Effect title from Bioware.
Interestingly, EA Sports remains untouched for now, as this division falls under a different leadership structure than EA Entertainment. However, recent developments like the mandatory return-to-office policy have raised concerns among some remote employees about job security.
This latest round of changes comes after several previous rounds of layoffs and project cancellations at EA over the past few years. Just last month, around 300 positions were eliminated, including a significant number at Respawn. Before that, BioWare underwent restructuring, resulting in layoffs and shifts in personnel assignments. In 2024, EA implemented a major overhaul that led to 670 layoffs across the company, and in 2023, job cuts occurred at both BioWare and Codemasters.
As the gaming industry evolves, EA's strategic shifts reflect a broader trend toward consolidating efforts on core properties while scaling back on experimental or licensed projects. For now, fans of EA's various franchises will have to wait and see how these changes impact future releases.
