According to a report by Bloomberg, Cliffhanger Games was in the process of developing a unique system for NPC behavior within their now-canceled Black Panther video game. This custom system was intended to serve as a proprietary alternative to the patented Nemesis system originally created by Monolith Productions.
Cliffhanger Games was established by developers who had previously played key roles in creating both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, and were instrumental in the design of the original Nemesis system. That system was notable for allowing non-player characters to remember interactions with the player and evolve their behavior accordingly. However, the legal rights to the Nemesis system patent belonged to Monolith and later transferred to Warner Bros. For their Black Panther project, Cliffhanger was reportedly building a similar system with the goal of improving upon certain aspects or perceived shortcomings of the original Nemesis. Instead of battling orcs, players would have faced Marvel superheroes as dynamic adversaries within this system. With the recent cancellation of the game and the subsequent closure of the studio, development on this innovative system has been discontinued.
On May 28th, Electronic Arts (EA) officially canceled the Black Panther game developed by Cliffhanger Games and simultaneously shut down the studio. EA has stated that this decision aligns with a broader strategic intent to gradually reduce reliance on games based on licensed intellectual properties. Despite this general shift, the company still plans significant investments in an upcoming action game featuring Iron Man and two other projects set within the Star Wars universe.
Finley Holt