The sudden closure of Cliffhanger Games has left a bitter taste in the mouths of gamers and an uncertain future for the developers working on a Black Panther game, which has also been canceled.
According to multiple reports, EA is trying to reassign some of the affected staff to other roles across the company. However, some of the messages emanating from those impacted by the studio closure suggest that the deal is far from guaranteed for everyone.
ALSO READ: Games Workshop Is Splashing $26.9M On Employees… See Why
Just last month, EA shed over 300 employees, including 100 working at Respawn Entertainment, the creator of Apex Legends. The publication included an email forwarded to employees by EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, who said the Black Panther game cancelation is part of EA’s effort to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities”.
The email also highlighted that going forward, EA Entertainment will focus on Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends. However, the development of Respawn’s third Star Wars: Jedi installment and Motive’s Iron Man game will continue.
A brief history of Cliffhanger Games
Cliffhanger Games was founded in 2021 and was led by Kevin Stephens, who headed Monolith during Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War development. The studio attracted veterans who have worked on popular franchises like Call of Duty, God of War, and Halo Infinite.
Before its shuttering, Seattle-based Cliffhanger Games was working on a third-person, single-player Black Panther game in collaboration with Marvel Games. The EA studio was specifically formed to specialize in player-driven narratives and expansive, reactive worlds.
ALSO READ: 5 Biggest AAA Game Flops Of 2024. Over $1 Billion Lost In Development Cost
“We want our game to enable players to feel what it’s like to be worthy of the Black Panther mantle in unique, story-driven ways, and we want Cliffhanger Games to empower everyone on our team as we collaborate to bring this amazing world to life,” Stephens said in 2023.
“We’re still early in development with a long road ahead, but we know the foundation to any great story is to build an experienced team with diverse voices and perspectives and that’s what we want to build, especially with a superhero as important as Black Panther.”
Ex-Cliffhanger Games developers speak
Since the news about the shuttering of Cliffhanger Games broke, several former developers of the studio have shared their experiences on social media, while soliciting the help of their connections to land new roles.
“Even though this chapter is ending earlier than expected, I’m incredibly proud of the work I contributed as a game designer on Marvel’s Black Panther and grateful to have collaborated with such a passionate and talented team at Cliffhanger Games,” wrote game and level designer Jennessa Wilson.
Senior software engineer Ted Snook wrote, “Well, it was a good run while it lasted. Found out today that Cliffhanger Games is shut down by EA. We had a great team, and the project was starting to get some momentum. This industry is just so brutal.”
Several of the employees could not hide their frustration, especially because of the time and effort they had invested in the Black Panther game project. Gameplay development director Darryn wrote, “The Black Panther game which we have invested so much of ourselves into, has been cancelled by EA.”
ALSO READ: 2 Ways To Play PS5 In Tesla Exposed
“I’m really glad to have experienced this project, it was everything I needed as an Artist with African heritage,” wrote Jeryce Dianingana, a senior environment artist. “Cliffhanger studio was great, lovely, taking attention of his people, I genuinely loved everyone there but It is what it is so…”.
Several other former employees posted about being laid off. One information that was consistent in their post was declaring that they were open to new opportunities. This simply suggests that any deal to reassign them to other teams within the company is not guaranteed for everyone.
Narrative system designer Ricky Llamas wrote a post that was supposed to feature on the company’s LinkedIn page. Since that wouldn’t be happening anymore, Llamas decided to share an excerpt from that post. It read:
“No studio is perfect, but everyone at Cliffhanger is committed to making something great. And what stands out to me about this studio is how open folks are to having frank conversations and working through our problems together. It helps create a healthy dynamic that’s rare to see… Even though I’ve only been here for less than a year, it’s already been such a formative time in my life. I’ve grown so much in such a short amount of time, and I’m really excited to see what comes next.”
