News had recently come out that Monolith Studios had been closed following the cancellation of their Wonder Woman game. While many fans thought this was a huge loss on their part, it’s possible that the original plans for WW are being reused for another superhero game.
After a recent breakdown of the current situation at WB Games from journalist Jason Schreier, there seems to be evidence that the original plans for Wonder Woman could be used for EA’s Black Panther game.
From Wonder Woman to Black Panther
In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games Daily, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier explained what happened within Monolith Studios before Wonder Woman was eventually canceled.
As it turns out, the team initially planned to have their Nemesis System (from Shadow of Mordor) in the Wonder Woman game, but the title was rebooted to be more of a traditional action adventure like God of War. When this happened, though, the leadership at Monolith had quit to make Cliffhanger Studios, and then they teamed up with EA to make a Black Panther game. Here’s what Cliffhanger head Kevin Stephens said about the upcoming BP title:
“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game. Wakanda is a rich Super Hero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do.”
What’s interesting about the quote is that Wonder Woman also allowed players to ‘control the narrative’ with their Nemesis System, having Diana go around Themyscira and recruiting tribe leaders under a unified banner.
How likely is it that after being told they couldn’t make their original plan for Wonder Woman, the Cliffhanger team quit, reworked their idea for a Black Panther story, and then remade it again?
WW and BP Similarities
The worlds of Wakanda and Themyscira share many similarities. Both are secret, fantastical (and ancient) cities that different tribes of warriors could easily populate. Wonder Woman and Black Panther could be considered leaders of their people, and having them go on missions to unify a kingdom seems like an arc that their characters could undergo.
Though Diana and T’Challa are made to face the realities of being diplomats, they are also granted some fantastical powers that allow them to tackle any violence that comes their way.
Maybe, Maybe Not
For now, this is all just speculation, but many of the puzzle pieces fit from the project that the Cliffhanger team was initially working on to the similarities between Black Panther and Wonder Woman.
There is news, though, that WB Games had put a patent on the Nemesis System so it can’t be used for Black Panther, but even Schreier himself had said that could be in a legal gray area.
Until EA does an official reveal, fans must wait and see what happens.
No release date has been announced for the Black Panther game, but EA hopes to release it by next year.