Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game, Closes Three Studios

Warner Bros. has made the tough 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, first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Bluesky, was later confirmed by Warner Bros. to Kotaku.

In their statement, Warner Bros. emphasized the need to refocus their efforts on key franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. They stated, "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. 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 decision to halt the development of Monolith's Wonder Woman game was particularly disappointing. Warner Bros. explained, "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."

This move comes after a series of challenges for Warner Bros.' gaming division, including a reboot and change of directors for the Wonder Woman project earlier in 2024, layoffs at Rocksteady, the underwhelming response to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the shutdown of MultiVersus. Additionally, the departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors of the division being sold off have contributed to a period of significant restructuring.

The closure of these studios is a significant blow to Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe-connected gaming portfolio. Just a day before this announcement, James Gunn and Peter Safran mentioned that the first DCU video game might not be released for "a couple of years."

The affected studios have rich histories. Monolith Productions, founded in 1994 and acquired by Warner Bros. in 2004, is renowned for its Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War games, which introduced the innovative Nemesis system. Player First Games, established in 2019, developed MultiVersus, which, despite critical acclaim and a successful launch, did not meet Warner Bros.' expectations. WB San Diego, also founded in 2019, focused on mobile and free-to-play games.

These closures reflect a broader trend in the gaming industry, which has seen over 10,000 game developers laid off in 2023 and over 14,000 in 2024. While the exact impact of 2025's closures remains unclear due to less transparency from companies, the industry continues to face significant challenges.