One of the biggest reveals at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend was the first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is scheduled to cap off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on November 11. Not long after the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer dropped, industry insider Jeff Grubb reported that a Black Panther video 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, the Black Panther video game is currently known by its codename Project Rainier, and it is in development at Electronic Arts. EA's new, still-unnamed Seattle studio is working on the game, with that team led by Kevin Stephens, who was once VP of Monolith Productions (the studio that made the Middle-earth games and is working on the Wonder Woman game). The Black Panther game is said to be a single-player, open world experience, and it will be about the player character becoming the new Black Panther.
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 about T'Challa taking the mantle of Black Panther. Grubb says that the Black Panther game 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 the Black Panther film and the Black Panther character, it's really no surprise to learn that a video game based on the character is in development. The first Black Panther standalone 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 notably Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: 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, but EA recently mocked single-player games in a tweet that 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 of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
If the Black Panther game is in development as rumored, it may be quite some time before the official announcement comes, so fans should stay tuned for more information.
Black Panther is rumored to be in development.