Warner Bros. Axes Wonder Woman Game, Shuts Down Three Studios

Warner Bros. has announced the cancellation of its highly anticipated Wonder Woman game and the closure of 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 full report on Bloomberg. Warner Bros. confirmed the closures 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 decision to cancel the Wonder Woman game follows earlier reports of development troubles, including a reboot and a change in directors in early 2024. These challenges are part of broader issues within Warner Bros.' gaming division, which have included layoffs at Rocksteady, the underwhelming reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the shutdown of MultiVersus.

The gaming division has also experienced significant changes, with long-time games head David Haddad announcing his departure and rumors suggesting the division might be sold off. This latest move is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' plans to expand its DC universe through gaming, especially after James Gunn and Peter Safran recently stated that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.

The closure of these studios marks a loss for the gaming industry. 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 a successful launch, 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 continuing trend of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures in the games industry. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, and this number increased to over 14,000 in 2024. While specific numbers for 2025 are less clear, the impact of these closures remains significant.