EA developers are taking to social media to share their reactions following the announcement that the Black Panther project has been canceled and its development studio, Cliffhanger Games, is being shut down.

Little about the Black Panther game was revealed after its initial announcement in 2023, though it was confirmed to be a single-player, open-world action-adventure title. The project was being developed by the now-shuttered Cliffhanger Games, a studio established in 2023 by several former developers of the acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and led by Kevin Stephens.

In an internal email from EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, obtained by IGN, Miele stated these measures, along with other recent cancellations and workforce reductions, are part of an effort to "sharpen our focus and direct our creative resources toward the highest-potential growth opportunities."

"These are incredibly difficult decisions," Miele wrote. "They impact colleagues we've collaborated with, learned from, and shared meaningful experiences alongside. We are committed to providing comprehensive support to those affected, including facilitating opportunities for new roles within EA, where we have a strong track record of helping team members transition successfully."

After the news broke, EA team members and other contributors to the game posted on social media to bid farewell to Black Panther and urge other studios to hire the developers impacted by the studio's closure.

“I was honored to be part of this amazing team,” shared concept artist Karla Ortiz. “We were creating something truly special—a detailed, rich, and beautiful game. It’s heartbreaking that the world will never get to experience it.

“It also breaks my heart to say goodbye to everyone. Working with you all was an incredible privilege. This is a profoundly sad day.”

Ortiz added: "...every developer on the team was deeply passionate about releasing this game. It was beautiful, crafted with immense care.” “We were so eager to share it with everyone! It was something truly unique.” She concluded, “All I can say is that what we had was phenomenal.”

Senior Environment Architect II, Freddie Lee, posted: “Well, this happened today. I have to say that during my time there, I was honored to work alongside inspiring artists like Karla, whose work motivated the entire team and helped me grow professionally. This team was, and remains, the greatest.”

He noted the closure "took us by complete surprise."

Game designer Sophie Mallinson said: “This was a ✧˖° dream team °˖✧, and any studio should strongly consider hiring the talented people from this project. It’s deeply disappointing that we may never see a Black Panther ARPG developed by the creators of the Nemesis System!!”

Former Respawn developer Rayme Vinson, now principal technical designer at Gravity Well, also reflected on the game's lost potential: “When they canceled the Star Wars FPS, we got a close look at this project and spoke with their team about possibly taking on some of our colleagues. What they were building was ambitious and special. I was genuinely excited to play it someday, even if they had only completed a quarter of their vision.”

Patrick Wren, senior encounter designer on Jedi Survivor at Respawn, stated succinctly: “Morale has been at an all-time low. I can confirm that much.”

These latest cuts follow multiple other rounds of layoffs and project cancellations at EA over recent years, particularly in 2025. Last month alone, EA laid off approximately 300 employees, including about 100 at Respawn, and canceled an in-development Titanfall title along with another incubation project. Earlier this year, EA restructured BioWare, reassigning some developers and laying off others. In 2024, a major company-wide restructuring led to 670 job losses, including roughly two dozen at Respawn. In 2023, BioWare cut 50 positions, and an undisclosed number of jobs were eliminated at Codemasters.

EA is now concentrating its efforts on a core set of franchises: Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. The company has confirmed it will continue development on the Iron Man game at Motive and the third Star Wars: Jedi title, while maintaining its mobile business. BioWare continues work on the next Mass Effect. EA Sports, which manages franchises like FC and Madden, operates as a separate division from EA Entertainment.