EA CANCELS Black Panther, SHUTS DOWN Cliffhanger Games, FIRES RACIST Staff!

It’s official, the world is healing... Slowly but surely... And who'd a thunk it would be starting with EA of all places? They just officially pulled the plug on their Black Panther video game and on top of that, they shut down the entire Cliffhanger Games studio as well in the process.

The studio never even made it out of early development, but if you’ve been following my coverage, you already know why: this disaster was inevitable. And the warning signs were all there... starting with one person in particular: Dani Lalonders. Is it cheap to blame an entire studio's downfall on one person? Nope. Not when it comes to the intimate environment of game design and development. All it really ever takes is one really bad apple to spoil the entire bunch, and in this case, all signs point to that being the case here. Just take a quick watch as a reminder and see for yourself:

Yes, that very same Dani in the video above who proudly bragged during a public panel that her indie game team had “no white people,” as if active discrimination was something to celebrate. Imagine saying this at a company and being recorded and NOT being fired immediately... I almost don't even blame her. I blame whoever put her in that position to set herself up to fail. No professional in the industry should ever be caught speaking like that... But it was... very telling.

Oh, and also the same Dani tied to Sweet Baby Inc., the notoriously infamous DEI consultancy firm that’s been infiltrating the games industry with divisive, race-based hiring practices and political messaging that directly alienates the very audience they’re trying to sell to. If EA had bothered to do even five minutes of research, or just listened to what I said MONTHS ago... they could’ve avoided this entire mess and saved themselves millions... Ah well. You can lead a horse to water, right?

How Much Money Did EA Burn Before Admitting We Were Right?

Let’s be honest: this was a studio doomed by their own arrogance from jumpstreet. A company like Cliffhanger Games that hires someone like Dani Lalonders, whose own social media history includes proudly stating she’s “prejudiced” and asking “so now what?” when called out.

That’s not misunderstood. That’s malicious. And it doesn’t stop there.

Senior writer Alexa Ray Corriea publicly endorsed a tweet from Alyssa Mercante (yes, that Alyssa currently suing me) saying, “I don’t support all gamers. Most of you are bigots.” Corriea’s response? “Need this on a shirt.” (Credit to ThatParkPlace for the below image)

That’s what passed for “inclusive storytelling” at Cliffhanger. No wonder EA scrapped the project before a single second of gameplay saw the light of day. This studio was infested with activists, NOT passionate gamers.

Sweet Baby Inc. Stench All Over It

Let’s not pretend this was some isolated hire. The connection to Sweet Baby Inc. is glaring as well and it’s become a death sentence for any game trying to appeal to real players instead of woke Twitter mobs. We've all seen the patternrepeated over and over again by now: insert ideological consultants, push divisive messaging, demonize your audience, and act shocked when it blows up in your face.

I’ve warned about Sweet Baby Inc.'s corrosive influence pretty often, because I care about the future of the game industry. It’s not about elevating stories, and despite what Kim Belair tries to tell you, I don't believe her. It never was about any of that from what I've witnessed. It's been about pushing a radical agenda that turns promising projects into money-burning disasters. EA found that out the expensive way.

EA is a WRECK - Veilguard Flopped. Mass Effect Is Now Their Last Shot.

Let’s not forget, this all comes on the heels of Dragon Age: The Veilguard tanking in the court of public opinion well before it even hit shelves. Early leaks, cringeworthy character designs, and over-the-top gender ideology turned off even the hardcore BioWare fans. Now EA is desperately trimming the fat everywhere, cutting BioWare down, cancelling Black Panther, and praying that Mass Effect can salvage what’s left of their credibility... But even if it is successful, what next? How do they even fix this mess they've got themselves into?

And it’s not just about Cliffhanger or BioWare. EA has also canceled a Titanfall project, laid off upwards of 3,000 staff in the past year alone, and they're clearly pivoting away from anything that doesn’t scream “safe bet.”

The clear translation? DEI games don’t sell. It never did, and it never will. That in itself is a harsh reality for many DEI activists to wrap their heads around.

The Racism Was Never Hidden

Let’s stop pretending Dani Lalonders’ comments were “taken out of context” because there is no way any sane person can legitimately hear what she said their and NOT know exactly what this type of person is like in the workplace. People aren't stupid. She said what she said... and she meant it. And EA, by employing her, and others like her... gave a middle finger to every gamer just looking for good stories and solid gameplay without the lectures from activists.

Now Cliffhanger is gone. Black Panther is dead. And I can’t help but wonder how many millions were burned before someone at EA finally said, “Maybe hiring people who openly hate our audience isn’t the best move.” lol... I mean COME ON, EA!

It didn’t have to go this way. I could’ve told them that. In fact, I did... and I've from the only one.

~Smash