Warner Bros. has made the difficult decision to cancel its highly anticipated Wonder Woman game and close three of its development studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. This news was first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Bluesky and later confirmed by Warner Bros. in a statement to Kotaku.
In their statement, Warner Bros. explained that the closures are part of a strategic shift to focus on key franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. The company emphasized that these decisions were not a reflection of the talent within the affected studios but rather a necessary move to align their development efforts with their core priorities.
The Wonder Woman game, which was being developed by Monolith Productions, will no longer move forward. Warner Bros. expressed their regret over this decision, acknowledging Monolith's history of delivering exceptional gaming experiences, including the critically acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War. The Nemesis system, a groundbreaking feature introduced in Shadow of Mordor, was patented by Warner Bros. in 2021.
Player First Games, known for the critically acclaimed but underperforming MultiVersus, and WB San Diego, which focused on mobile and free-to-play games, are also affected by these closures. Both studios were established in 2019 and had been working on projects that did not meet Warner Bros.' expectations.
This move comes amidst broader challenges within Warner Bros.' gaming division, including the lukewarm reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and the shutdown of MultiVersus. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that the Wonder Woman project had faced significant hurdles, including a reboot and a change in directors in early 2024.
The gaming industry has been experiencing a wave of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures over the past three years. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, a number that increased to over 14,000 in 2024. While specific numbers for 2025 are less clear due to fewer companies reporting these figures, the trend of industry contraction continues.
The closure of these studios is a significant blow to Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe-connected gaming portfolio. Just yesterday, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced that it would be "a couple of years" before the first DCU video game is released, highlighting the ongoing challenges in this area.
As Warner Bros. refocuses its efforts on its core franchises, the gaming community mourns the loss of three storied studios and the potential of the Wonder Woman game that will never see the light of day.
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