On Wednesday, it emerged that Electronic Arts has canceled a single-player Black Panther game and shuttered the developer Cliffhanger Games. The studio was founded two years ago expressly to make the game. The news is devastating for the developers, of course, and dispiriting for gamers and Marvel fans. But it’s not surprising. It’s the latest in a long line of cutbacks and cancellations from a publisher that seems deeply unsure of itself outside of its comfort zone of live service and sports.

EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson foreshadowed the Black Panther cancellation in early 2024. Announcing a wave of layoffs — the first of several in the past 18 months — he said EA would be “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry,” instead focusing on “our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities.” EA has cancelled Star Wars projects too (although it does still have an Iron Man game in development). Wilson seems to have decided publishers’ rush toward the safety of big licences, inspired by the likes of Sony’s Spider-Man series and WB Games’ Hogwarts Legacy, is riskier than it looks — and, after the recent poor reception to........

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