Warner Bros. has made the difficult decision to cancel its anticipated Wonder Woman game and close three of its studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. This news was first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Bluesky, with a detailed follow-up on Bloomberg. Warner Bros. subsequently confirmed these developments to Kotaku, stating:
We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises -– Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones. After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.
The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward. Our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities. This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith’s storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games. We greatly admire the passion of the three teams and thank every employee for their contributions. As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.
The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game follows earlier reports this year of the project facing challenges, including a reboot and a change in directors in early 2024. This news comes amidst broader difficulties within Warner Bros.' gaming division, highlighted by layoffs at Rocksteady, the underwhelming reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the termination of MultiVersus.
Moreover, Warner Bros. Games has been undergoing a significant restructuring. This was marked by the departure of long-time games head David Haddad and speculation about the potential sale of the gaming division.
The closure of these studios is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe through gaming. Just recently, James Gunn and Peter Safran mentioned during a presentation that it would take "a couple of years" before the first DCU video game would be ready.
The affected studios have rich histories. Monolith Productions, established in 1994 and acquired by Warner Bros. in 2004, is renowned for its Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series, which introduced the innovative Nemesis system, patented by Warner Bros. in 2021. Player First Games, founded in 2019, developed MultiVersus, which, despite critical acclaim and initial success, did not meet Warner Bros.' expectations. Similarly, WB San Diego, also established in 2019, focused on mobile and free-to-play games.
These closures are part of a broader trend of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio shutdowns in the gaming industry, which has seen over 10,000 game developers laid off in 2023 and more than 14,000 in 2024. The exact impact in 2025 remains unclear due to less transparency from companies regarding these actions.
