A video game based on Disney and Marvel’s “Black Panther” has been scrapped at publisher Electronic Arts as part of the closure of the game’s developer, Cliffhanger Games.
As a result of EA shuttering Cliffhanger, multiple employees have been laid off at both that studio and across EA’s mobile and central teams. Variety has confirmed the number of staffers cut is less than the 300 that EA let go last month when it canceled its next planned “Titanfall” game, and the company is working to place these individuals with other teams throughout EA.
In an email sent to staff Wednesday, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele said these moves were made to “sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities.”
The cuts come as EA chief Andrew Wilson has made it clear the company’s priority is its biggest franchises, including EA Sports, “The Sims,” “Battlefield” and “Apex Legends,” and upcoming game “Skate,” rather than making licensed games.
“These decisions are hard,” Miele said. “They affect people we’ve worked with, learned from and shared real moments with. We’re doing everything we can to support them — including finding opportunities within EA, where we’ve had success helping people land in new roles.”
Representatives for EA declined to comment.
This marks the third round of layoffs EA has made this year. In April, EA reduced its staff by more than 300 employees with approximately one third of the cuts made at developer Respawn, which was making “Titanfall” and one additional project, both of which were in “early-stage incubation,” according to Respawn. The layoffs mainly affected the teams working on games “Apex Legends” and “Star Wars Jedi.”
IGN was first to report the news of the new EA layoffs and “Black Panther” game cancellation.
