Warner Bros. has announced the cancellation of its highly anticipated Wonder Woman game and the closure of three of its development studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. The news was first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Bluesky, with a detailed follow-up on Bloomberg. Warner Bros. later confirmed the closures in a statement to Kotaku.
In their statement, Warner Bros. explained that the decision to close the studios was part of a strategic move to focus on developing high-quality games centered around their key franchises, including Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. They emphasized that this restructuring is aimed at enhancing their games business's profitability and growth starting in 2025.
The Wonder Woman game, which was being developed by Monolith Productions, will not proceed. Warner Bros. expressed regret over the decision, acknowledging Monolith's significant contributions to the gaming industry, particularly with their acclaimed Middle-earth series, which introduced the innovative Nemesis system.
Player First Games, known for the critically acclaimed but underperforming MultiVersus, and WB San Diego, which focused on mobile and free-to-play games, are also affected by these closures. Both studios were established in 2019.
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 disappointing reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Additionally, the departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors of a potential sale of the gaming division have added to the uncertainty.
The closure of these studios is a significant setback for Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe in gaming, especially following recent comments by James Gunn and Peter Safran indicating 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 further closures, the exact impact on the workforce remains unclear due to less transparency from companies about these actions.
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