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

Warner Bros. has made the strategic decision to cancel its planned 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, followed by a detailed report 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 on the heels of earlier reports suggesting that the Wonder Woman project was facing challenges after a reboot and change in directors in early 2024. These issues were part of broader difficulties within Warner Bros.' gaming division, including layoffs at Rocksteady, the underwhelming reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the closure of MultiVersus.

Additionally, Warner Bros. Games has undergone significant restructuring recently, marked 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 and the studio closures are particularly impactful for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe through gaming. Just yesterday, James Gunn and Peter Safran indicated that it would be "a couple of years" before the first DCU video game is released.

Monolith Productions, established in 1994 and acquired by Warner Bros. in 2004, was working on the Wonder Woman game. The studio is renowned for the 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 contribute to the ongoing trend of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio shutdowns in the gaming industry. 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 precise impact on employees is less clear due to fewer companies reporting these numbers.