Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game, Closes Three Studios

Warner Bros. Games is restructuring, resulting in the cancellation of its planned Wonder Woman game and the closure of three studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. This news, initially reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, was subsequently confirmed by WB in a statement to Kotaku.

WB cited a strategic shift in focus towards its key franchises—Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones—as the reason for these difficult decisions. The statement emphasized that the closures are not a reflection of the talent within the affected studios. The company acknowledged the disappointment surrounding the cancellation of the Wonder Woman game, citing its inability to meet its quality standards within current strategic priorities. WB expressed gratitude for the contributions of the employees at all three studios and reiterated its commitment to returning to profitability and growth by 2025.

This move follows previous challenges for WB Games, including layoffs at Rocksteady, the mixed reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the shutdown of MultiVersus, and the departure of long-time games head David Haddad. Rumors of a potential sale of the gaming division have also circulated.

The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game is a significant setback for WB's DC universe gaming ambitions, especially considering James Gunn and Peter Safran's recent announcement that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.

The closures represent a substantial loss for the games industry. Monolith Productions, known for the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series and its innovative Nemesis system (patented by WB in 2021), was founded in 1994 and acquired by WB in 2004. Player First Games, established in 2019, developed MultiVersus, a critically acclaimed title that, despite initial success, failed to meet WB's expectations. WB San Diego, also founded in 2019, focused on mobile, free-to-play games.

These shutdowns are part of a broader trend in the games industry, marked by increasing layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures over the past three years. While precise figures are difficult to obtain for 2025, the pattern of significant job losses continues from the over 10,000 reported in 2023 and over 14,000 in 2024.