After a couple of years, Electronic Arts and Cliffhanger Games’Black Panthergame is still being kept under wraps. Having been announced in 2023, thisBlack Panthertitle will be Cliffhanger Games’ inaugural project, and features talent like Kevin Stephens from Monolith Productions ofShadow of Mordorfame. Besides the game still being in production and using what EA claims is new technology, that’s been it for this Marvel adaptation, cloaking it in a veil of mystery that’s fitting forBlack Panther. Given industry trends, it may not have anything to announce in 2025, but that’s only going to encourage the rumor mill.
Industry insider and X user @TheGhostOfHope shared several alleged details about the upcomingBlack Panthergame, including its emphasis on player choice impacting gameplay and narrative, some of the familiarBlack Panthercharacters that would appear, and the setting this game was going for. It mostly sounds in line with theMCUportrayal ofBlack Panther, even if the mention of Azari, the rarely-seen son of T’Challa and Storm, raises some eyebrows. Picking from several different Black Panthers and influencing the story seem like the main selling points, but that setup can’t under-deliver like another modern licensed game.
Where Hogwarts Legacy’s Harry Potter Simulation Went Wrong
The 2023 titleHogwarts Legacyattracted a huge audience by being the first game with a fully realized open-world take onHarry Potter’s iconic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was enough of a draw that it secured millions of sales in a short timeframe, and made up for many other aspects of the game that weren’t as extensively developed. One of those underbaked aspects was directly tied into expectations ofHogwarts Legacybeing aHarry Pottersimulator, unfortunately, and that was its implementation of the four iconic Houses of Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Legacy Couldn’t Make Each House Feel Distinct
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin are iconic parts of theHarry Pottermythos, even if Harry’s Gryffindor allegiance meant the other three Houses weren’t explored as thoroughly. Another enticing part ofHogwarts Legacywas the chance to right that wrong, with players able to insert their custom character into any House of their choosing and see unique content that way. Disappointingly, that unique content turned out to be a bunch of cosmetic and dialogue differences,access to a given House’s Common Room, and a single unique main quest in the lead-up to meeting Richard Jackdaw. It isn’t nothing, but it’s also not much.
The Black Panther Video Game Can’t Repeat Hogwarts Legacy’s House Issue
According to @TheGhostOfHope, Cliffhanger Games’Black Panthergame is trying something like the House system again, but it already sounds more ambitious. Multiple characters can assume the role of Black Panther, possibly including:
M’Baku and Killmonger are traditionallyBlack Panthervillains, so it’s unclear if this is the playable line-up or characters thatBlack Pantherfans would likely recognize. Regardless, eachBlack Pantheroption comes with unique gameplay opportunities, and the game’s narrative sounds very reactive to player choices. Presumably, the first of those choices is which of these distinctBlack Panthercandidates actually gets the title.
Unique missions are specifically called out as some of the things that can change based on player actions, which sound promising. Assuming this featureactually makes it to the finalBlack Panthergameas advertised, however, it can’t afford to be worse than it sounds. Several dedicated branches and missions exclusive to each Panther would give the game huge replay value, even if it means the game’s main story will need to be shorter than many of its AAA peers. If EA and Cliffhanger Games’Black Panthertitle aims to make choices matter, it at least needs to make its different protagonists feel like they’re having their own adventures.
