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, with a detailed follow-up article on Bloomberg. Warner Bros. subsequently confirmed these 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 period for Warner Bros.' gaming division, marked by the reboot and change of directors for the Wonder Woman game earlier in 2024, layoffs at Rocksteady, the tepid response to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the closure of MultiVersus. The gaming division has also undergone a restructuring, highlighted by the departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors of a potential sale of the division.

The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe through gaming. Just yesterday, James Gunn and Peter Safran indicated that the first DCU video game might not be released for "a couple of years."

The closure of these studios is a major loss for the gaming industry. Monolith Productions, established in 1994 and acquired by WB in 2004, is renowned for its work on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, the former introducing the innovative Nemesis system, patented by WB 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 broader trend of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures in the gaming industry over the past three years. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, with the number rising to over 14,000 in 2024. While 2025 has seen numerous closures, the exact number of affected individuals remains unclear due to less transparent reporting from companies.