Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game, Closes Three Studios

Warner Bros. Games is closing three studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego – and canceling its planned Wonder Woman game, according to a report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. This strategic decision, confirmed by WB Games in a statement to Kotaku, focuses development on key franchises like Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones.

The statement emphasizes that this restructuring isn't a reflection on the talent within the affected studios, but rather a shift in strategic priorities. The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game, developed by Monolith Productions, is attributed to the inability to meet the company's standards for quality within its revised strategic framework. WB Games expressed admiration for the teams' contributions and acknowledged the difficult nature of these decisions. The company aims to return to profitability and growth by 2025.

This news follows earlier reports of setbacks for the Wonder Woman game, including a reboot and director change in early 2024, and broader challenges within WB Games' gaming division. These challenges included layoffs at Rocksteady, the mixed reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the closure of MultiVersus, and the recent departure of long-time games head David Haddad, fueling speculation of a potential sale of the division.

The closure significantly impacts WB's DC universe gaming efforts, particularly in light of James Gunn and Peter Safran's recent announcement that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.

The closure represents a significant loss for the games industry. Monolith Productions, founded in 1994 and acquired by WB in 2004, is renowned for its Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War titles, which introduced the innovative Nemesis system. Player First Games, established in 2019, developed MultiVersus, a critically acclaimed title that, despite initial success, fell short of WB's expectations. WB San Diego, also founded in 2019, focused on mobile, free-to-play games.

These closures are part of a wider trend in the games industry, marked by increasing layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures over the past three years. While precise figures for 2025 are difficult to obtain due to reduced reporting, the number of impacted developers remains substantial, following significant job losses in 2023 and 2024.