One of the biggest reveals at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend was the first trailer forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is scheduled to cap off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on November 11. Not long after theBlack Panther: Wakanda Forevertrailerdropped, industry insider Jeff Grubb reported that aBlack Panthervideo game is in development as well, and now he has revealed new details on the project.
According to Grubb in a recent Giant Bomb Twitch stream, theBlack Panthervideo game is currently known by its codename Project Rainier, and it is in development at Electronic Arts. EA’s new,still-unnamed Seattle studiois working on the game, with that team led by Kevin Stephens, who was once VP of Monolith Productions (the studio that made theMiddle-earthgames and is working on theWonder Womangame). TheBlack Panthergame is said to be a single-player, open world experience, and it will be about the player character becoming the new Black Panther.
RELATED:Black Panther Star Daniel Kaluuya Reminisces About Working With Chadwick Boseman
It’s unclear exactly what that means. It’s possible players will play as an original character that becomes the new Black Panther, but it’s also possible that the game will be aboutT’Challataking the mantle of Black Panther. Grubb says that theBlack Panthergame is still early in development, which makes sense as the studio making it has only been around for about a year at this point. Considering this, it’s unlikely that fans will get clarification on certain plot details until much later on.
When one considers the incredible popularity of theBlack Pantherfilm and the Black Panther character, it’s really no surprise to learn that a video game based on the character is in development. ThefirstBlack Pantherstandalone movie earned a whopping $1.348 billion at the box office, making it one of the most financially successful superhero movies of all time. The Black Panther character has appeared in other superhero movies as well, most notablyCaptain America: Civil War,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgame.
What may be surprising to some is that EA is the publisher that’s apparently working on the project. In recent years, EA has largely moved away from single-player gaming experiences to instead focus on its lineup of sports titles and make online multiplayer, live-service style games. Not only that, butEA recently mocked single-player games in a tweetthat earned the company some significant backlash. But while EA has made fun of single-player games on its social media, it seems the company has seen the value of making such projects, perhaps thanks to the success ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
If theBlack Panthergame is in development as rumored, it may be quite some time before the official announcement comes, so fans should stay tuned for more information.
