Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor studio boss is heading up all-new singleplayer Black Panther game

Black Panther (Cliffhanger Games) logo
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Electronic Arts and Marvel Games are working on an all-new singleplayer Black Panther game at Cliffhanger Games, a new studio headed up by former Monolith Productions vice president and studio head Kevin Stephens.

"We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven videogame," Stephens said. "Wakanda is a rich superhero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do."

Details about the project haven't been revealed except that it will be "an original, third-person, singleplayer" game, but EA touted the talent it's already assembled at Cliffhanger, which includes former leadership from the outstanding Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor team and "veterans of top franchises including Halo Infinite, God of War, Call of Duty and others." Stephens himself also has credits on NOLF, FEAR, Tron 2.0, and Condemned: Criminal Origins, which all by itself makes this a game to watch in my book.

One big question is who's going to handle writing duties on the game. That hasn't been announced yet, although I've seen some social media hope that Evan Narcisse, who’s previously worked on Insomniac's Spider-Man series and Marvel's Avengers and written comics including Rise of the Black Panther and Wakanda, will be involved. Alas, EA said only that the game is “still in early development” and declined to comment any further.

And if you're thinking to yourself, "Hey, isn't there already a Black Panther game in development?" you are correct: That would be the untitled Black Panther/Captain America crossover joint announced by Skydance New Media and Marvel Games in 2022. We don't know much about that one either, except that it's being headed up by former Uncharted creative director Amy Hennig, and will be set during the Second World War.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.