EA’s Black Panther Game May Let You Explore Wakanda Like Never Before

EA’s upcoming Black Panther game could let players explore Wakanda in a way no other Marvel game has. Very little has been revealed surrounding the title since its announcement in July 2023 other than the fact it is being developed by a new AAA development studio based in Seattle, Cliffhanger Games, which consists of a team of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, God of War, Halo Infinite, and Call of Duty veterans.

A new job listing for a Principal Sandbox Designer on Electronic Arts‘ site has revealed that the upcoming Black Panther game will feature “a dynamic and evolving open world” and that the ideal candidate must have “a passion for creating immersive sandbox experiences“. Alongside the initial announcement of the game, its lead, Kevin Stephens, confirmed that it would take place in Wakanda, so this could give players an opportunity to fully explore an open-world version of the fictional African country for the first time in gaming.

Previous Marvel Games Have Had Smaller Versions Of Wakanda

Wakanda Hasn’t Been The Sole Focus Of A Marvel Game Before

Wakanda has appeared many times in Marvel’s history of games, but it was always a part of a larger game, and never the focus. The Marvel Ultimate Alliance series had its heroes venture there, but only for a level, and the more recent Marvel’s Avengers included a larger version of the location, but as part of its War on Wakanda DLC expansion which only covered part of the Wakandan Jungle showcasing some of the country’s advanced technology through temples, rather than exploring some of the other areas shown in the movies and comics as well.

Wakanda has also appeared in the key art for Skydance New Media’s upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, as it follows the World War 2-era’s Black Panther, Azzuri, on a mission alongside a Wakandan spy called Nanali. However, the footage of the game shown during Epic’s “State Of Unreal” presentation at the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) seems to suggest it will largely take place in occupied France.

With EA’s Black Panther now clearly being open-world, however, this will finally put the country and all its culture in the spotlight, letting players fully explore its cities and interact with its citizens. Stevens previously said the team was dedicated to delivering “a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience“, so making the title an open world set in the superhero’s home country rather than on a mission abroad certainly seems like one of the best ways to do this, as players can step into the shoes of Wakanda’s king and protector.

Source: Electronic Arts