A single-player, open-world Black Panther game is currently in development, according to Jeff Grub at GiantBomb. Currently called ‘Project Rainier’, it will see players take on the mantle of the new Black Panther after their predecessor has died. Development is reportedly being headed by Kevin Stephens, former production head at Monolith Productions, at a new Seattle-based studio under EA. Monolith is best known as the studio behind the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War games based on The Lord of the Rings.
The report comes off the tail of Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, which revealed movies and TV shows for years to come – including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The suggestion of a Black Panther game also adds to the list of Marvel games in the works, including Spider-Man 2, Wolverine, and Midnight Suns.
[The Black Panther game] is in very early development, and the game starts with Black Panther being dead and the player is going to take on the challenges of becoming the new Black Panther – and that seems to be the setup for the game.
-Jeff Grubb
Details are scarce, but the single-player label has some hoping it will be a more narrative-based and traditional experience, akin to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, as opposed to the disappointing live-service model of Marvel’s Avengers.
No information was available on an expected release, but “very early development” suggests it could be a good ways off. Neither EA nor the team involved have commented on Grubb’s reports yet.
Wakanda Forever trailer is great. Let's talk about the Black Panther game live tomorrow on #GameMessMornings at 11 a.m. Eastern https://t.co/3HFFcqEdcL https://t.co/JV6QT7ZzqN
— Jeff Grubb, No. 3 games journalist (@JeffGrubb) July 24, 2022
