Warner Bros. has made the difficult 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 confirmed by Warner Bros. in a statement to Kotaku.
In their statement, Warner Bros. explained that the closures are part of a strategic shift to focus on key franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. The company emphasized that these decisions were not a reflection of the talent within the affected studios but rather a necessary restructuring to prioritize high-quality game development.
The Wonder Woman game, which was being developed by Monolith Productions, will no longer move forward. Warner Bros. expressed regret over this decision, acknowledging Monolith's history of delivering exceptional fan experiences with games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War. The latter introduced the innovative Nemesis system, which Warner Bros. patented in 2021.
Player First Games, known for the critically acclaimed MultiVersus, and WB San Diego, which focused on mobile and free-to-play games, are also affected by these closures. Despite MultiVersus's initial success, it did not meet Warner Bros.' expectations, contributing to the studio's shutdown.
This move comes amidst broader challenges within Warner Bros.' gaming division, including earlier reports of the Wonder Woman project facing difficulties, layoffs at Rocksteady, and the underwhelming reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Additionally, the recent departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors of a potential sale of the gaming division signal a period of significant restructuring.
The closure of these studios is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe-connected gaming portfolio. Just a day before the announcement, James Gunn and Peter Safran indicated that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.
The gaming industry has been experiencing a wave of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures over the past three years. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, a number that increased to over 14,000 in 2024. While 2025 has seen numerous closures, the exact impact on individuals remains unclear due to less transparency from companies regarding these layoffs and shutdowns.
