Warner Bros. Axes Wonder Woman Game, Shuts Down 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 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.

This decision comes after a challenging year for Warner Bros.' gaming division, marked by the reboot and change of directors for the Wonder Woman game in early 2024, significant layoffs at Rocksteady, and the underwhelming reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Additionally, the shutdown of MultiVersus and the recent departure of long-time games head David Haddad have fueled rumors that the division might be sold off.

The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe in gaming. Just a day before this announcement, James Gunn and Peter Safran mentioned that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.

The closure of these studios represents a significant loss to the gaming industry. Monolith Productions, founded 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, established 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 add to a worrying trend in the games industry, with over 10,000 game developers laid off in 2023, escalating to over 14,000 in 2024. While 2025 has seen numerous closures, the exact impact on individuals remains unclear due to limited reporting on specific layoffs and shutdowns.