Warner Bros. has decided 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 detailed in a comprehensive Bloomberg article. Following Schreier's announcement, Warner Bros. confirmed the closures to Kotaku, releasing the following statement:
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.
This decision follows reports earlier this year from Bloomberg indicating that the Wonder Woman game was facing challenges, including a reboot and a change in directors in early 2024. These issues are part of broader difficulties within Warner Bros.' gaming division, which also experienced layoffs at Rocksteady, a tepid response to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the shutdown of MultiVersus.
Recent developments suggest a significant restructuring at WB Games, highlighted by the departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors that the division might be sold off. This move particularly affects Warner Bros.' efforts to build a connected DC universe in gaming. Just yesterday, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced that it would be "a couple of years" before the first DCU video game is released.
The closure of these studios marks a significant loss for the gaming industry. Monolith Productions, established in 1994 and acquired by Warner Bros. in 2004, is renowned for its work on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War, which introduced the acclaimed 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. WB San Diego, also established in 2019, focused on mobile and free-to-play games.
These closures are part of a broader trend in the games industry over the past three years, characterized by increasing layoffs, project cancellations, and studio shutdowns. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, a number that rose to over 14,000 in 2024. While 2025 has seen numerous closures, the exact impact on individuals remains unclear due to fewer companies reporting specific numbers.
