Latest news with #Wakanda

‘Black Panther' and Its Team Deserved Better Than This

Gizmodo

3 days ago

Business
Gizmodo

‘Black Panther' and Its Team Deserved Better Than This

Days ago, the video game sphere was thrown into shock when EA revealed it'd canceled its Black Panther game. The project, announced in 2023, was to be the debut of developer Cliffhanger Games, which was headed up by developers who made Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. With its game dead, Cliffhanger's been shut down, and anyone not transferred elsewhere within EA's various internal studios has been laid off. At the time of the game's cancellation, Cliffhanger hadn't revealed anything about Black Panther, and all we had to go on was a job listing indicating it'd be a single-player, open-world title. In the wake of the project and studio's end, we now know some of it would've involved several playable characters—from T'Challa to his sister Shuri and son Azari—fighting Skrulls invading Wakanda. This game would've featured Skrulls posing as allies and relationships formed between the other non-playable heroes and other NPCs in Wakanda. For all intents and purposes, it was to be similar to the Nemesis System introduced in the Middle-Earth: Shadow games. Several alums from Monolith's Lord of the Rings duology reunited to form Cliffhanger, but EA felt the studio was moving too slow, which came in part because Cliffhanger was building staff alongside its prototypes and builds to show EA how it would all come together. What makes this situation even more sad is how not shocking it is that Black Panther got killed. Last year, EA canceled a single-player Star Wars FPS from Respawn, its own internal studio responsible for the hit Jedi games, and which has also had two separate, attempted spinoffs for its own Titanfall series suffer the same fate. This past February, WB Games put the kibosh on its Wonder Woman game from Monolith (which also got closed down), and we learned in April of a Blade Runner game that'll likely never see the light of day. The Last of Us, Spider-Man, Halo; whether it's a whole game or a specific mode, from an established franchise or something new, in development or just recently came out, the industry has been full of cancellations in recent years, with layoffs following not long after. On the outside looking in, a Black Panther game feels like an easy call to make. Superhero video games are in a good place right now, and this specific character's been an A-lister since his debut in Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and his own 2018 movie became a massive, global phenomenon. He's part of the ever-increasing lineup of Marvel Rivals and is set to co-lead Skydance's 2026-bound Marvel 1943, and whether it'd be T'Challa, Shuri, or Azari, the hero has never headlined a game on his lonesome, making EA's decision to kill it so frustrating. It certainly doesn't appear to be affecting its three-game deal with Marvel; both companies have since said the partnership will continue with Motive's Iron Man game and at least one other project yet to be announced. But in the wake of this news, and EA's alleged treatment of its original, non-multiplayer franchises like Dragon Age, it's hard to fully buy that either of these projects, or any single-player project at the publisher's internal teams will come out, which puts the people actually making those games in an unfair light. The games industry's problems didn't start with Cliffhanger and Black Panther, and they'll continue well past this moment in time. But it speaks volumes that an attempted game of this caliber starring a character from one of the biggest media franchises around right now can't get off the ground and the team behind it is paying for EA's past, unrelated financial troubles. More than anything, the studio should've gotten to have its moment in the sun, as all developers do for the games they've spent nearly a decade or less of their lives making. Those opportunities feel like they're becoming increasingly rarer in this industry, and it won't be good for anyone should it continue becoming the norm.

Don't Expect ‘Eyes of Wakanda' to Just Be a ‘Black Panther' Show

Gizmodo

27-05-2025

Entertainment
Gizmodo

Don't Expect ‘Eyes of Wakanda' to Just Be a ‘Black Panther' Show

Later this summer, Marvel Studios is diving deep into the history of Wakanda, but not necessarily the history you are thinking of. Eyes of Wakanda premieres on Disney+ this August, and it's an animated tale told across generations of the great, fictional African nation. A nation that many casual Marvel fans just know based on its protector, Black Panther. And yet, while the history and legend of the Black Panther will be part of the show, it's not the main drive. 'We have characters that are very important in the show, but it also examines what kind of person Wakanda makes,' showrunner Todd Harris told Entertainment Weekly. 'A 10,000-year-old society. What kind of fortitude, what kind of lack of temptation to over-expand? All these different things to keep things from imploding, all these different things that have been the detriment to a lot of history… how did they avoid that and what kind of person does that make? What kind of rock-solid principles keep them on the straight and narrow that balance that's so hard for everyone alive?' That'll happen by exploring different stories, characters, and time periods across the history of Wakanda. Harris describes the show as 'anthology adjacent.' 'I really liked the idea of everyone's view of history,' Harris said. 'The story starts off during the end of the Western Bronze Age, and that spark sets off this giant spy-espionage story that reverberates through time…. You get Wakanda-grade James Bond, and sometimes a Jane Bond, with the backdrop of all the awesomeness that is Wakanda.' In the interview, Harris keeps most plot points secret, but does reveal that the show centers on Wakanda's Hatut Zaraze, aka the Dogs of War, who traverse the world attempting to recover Vibranium artifacts that have somehow been taken from the country. 'When an inciting incident releases some of these things into the wild, they've got to, in a very hush-hush kind of way, make sure that these things don't turn into a bigger problem,' Harris says. 'We saw what happened when one disc got into the hands of one Super Soldier—it changed the course of the world.' Referring, of course, to Captain America and his shield. However, while the show will work mostly to showcase Wakanda in this new, exciting way, Harris does admit there are Marvel secrets to be discovered for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 'There are a couple of surprises,' Harris said. 'Because part of the opportunity here is to sprinkle little pieces of history and go, 'I didn't know that happened.' Part of it is holding a mirror up to some historical theories and some historical facts and some historical preconceived notions.' There's much more from Eyes of Wakanda, including a few images, over at Entertainment Weekly. Head there to read even more and check out the show on Disney+ in August.

'Eyes of Wakanda' Animated Series Showrunner Teases 'Giant Spy-Espionage Story' Across MCU History

Geek Culture

27-05-2025

Entertainment
Geek Culture

'Eyes of Wakanda' Animated Series Showrunner Teases 'Giant Spy-Espionage Story' Across MCU History

Todd Harris, showrunner of the upcoming Marvel Disney+ animated miniseries Eyes of Wakanda , has given some insight into the ambitious project, teasing the show's unique setting that spans different Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) time periods and its cast of Wakandan warriors. Speaking during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Harris describes the upcoming animated series as a combination of his passion for both history and Marvel. 'I really liked the idea of everyone's view of history,' he said, 'The story starts off during the end of the Western Bronze Age, and that spark sets off this giant spy-espionage story that reverberates through time…. You get Wakanda-grade James Bond, and sometimes a Jane Bond, with the backdrop of all the awesomeness that is Wakanda.' Harris also teased some of the warriors featured in the show, although he understandably revealed his desire to keep as many details a secret as possible. These characters include the Lion, voiced by Cress Williams (Black Lightning) and Noni, voiced by model Winnie Harlow. Princess and the Frog Disney legend Anika Noni Rose will also lend her voice in an unspecified role, with Harris teasing that she 'came in like an archangel and just blew the scene away.' Another notable name in the show's roster of voice talent is House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint, who 'plays a jaded agent who is jaded for all the right reasons'. According to Harris, Eyes of Wakanda will be 'anthology adjacent', comprising a collection of short stories set in different MCU time periods and telling a continuous narrative, with the showrunner teasing 'a globe-trotting adventure'. 'There's a couple of surprises because part of the opportunity here is to sprinkle little pieces of history and go, 'I didn't know that happened.' Part of it is holding a mirror up to some historical theories and some historical facts and some historical preconceived notions,' he concluded. Eyes of Wakanda will debut on Disney+ on 6 August 2025, and will consist of four episodes. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Disney+ Eyes of Wakanda Marvel

Marvel's WWII action game has been delayed

The Verge

13-05-2025

Entertainment
The Verge

Marvel's WWII action game has been delayed

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, the new Marvel action-adventure game, has been delayed. The game was originally slated to release this year but Skydance New Media, the studio developing the game, has announced it will instead come out some time in early 2026. 'Taking this additional time will allow us to add more polish,' Skydance wrote of the delay on their X account. Marvel 1943 was first teaseed in 2021 as the first project under Skydance New Media, a new gaming initiative spearheaded by parent company studio Skydance Media known for films like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Skydance appointed former Naughty Dog creative director and Uncharted writer Amy Hennig to lead the studio. It's billed as an action-adventure game taking place in World War II featuring multiple playable characters including Captain America, Black Panther (T'Challa's grandfather Azzuri), Gabriel Jones (a member of Captain America's Howling Commandos team,) and Nanali, a Wakandan spy. We have one brief trailer from the game, released during last year's state of Unreal address but no other details. Skydance New Media is also working on a Star Wars game.