EA's Cancelled Black Panther Game: A Nemesis System Lost
EA's recent cancellation of its single-player Black Panther game and the closure of Cliffhanger Studios sent shockwaves through the gaming community. While EA cited a need to focus on "significant growth opportunities," a recent report shed light on the ambitious project that never saw the light of day.
A Unique Take on the Nemesis System
The game planned to build upon the innovative Nemesis System from Monolith's Shadow of Mordor. This system would have tracked player actions, creating enemies with memories of past encounters. However, Cliffhanger Studios intended to expand on this significantly.
Players would have chosen to play as one of three iconic characters: T'Challa, Killmonger, or Shuri, with the unchosen characters becoming rivals whose relationships would evolve based on player choices. This dynamic would have added a compelling layer of strategy and narrative depth.
Skrull Invasion and Procedural Storytelling
The game also featured the Skrulls, Marvel's shapeshifting extraterrestrials, as the antagonists. Their invasion of Wakanda would have been a central plot point, with some Skrulls posing as allies. Intriguingly, the report suggests the Skrulls would have also "remembered" player behavior, creating a truly adaptive and dynamic experience. This ambition, however, seems to have been one of the game's downfall.
Despite the innovative gameplay mechanics, the project faced development challenges. The simultaneous creation of a new game and a new studio proved to be a significant hurdle, slowing down the development process. This, coupled with the game remaining in pre-production for almost four years, ultimately led to its cancellation.
The Future of Black Panther Games
While EA's Black Panther project is gone, the future of Black Panther games is not. EA still holds the rights to other Marvel projects and is actively involved in creating an Iron Man game. Separately, Amy Hennig's Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is still under development, offering a different take on the Marvel universe focusing on other characters.
Source: EuroGamer