Warner Bros. Games is shutting down three studios—Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego—and canceling its planned Wonder Woman game, according to a report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. This strategic shift, confirmed by WB Games in a statement to Kotaku, prioritizes development around key franchises like Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones.
The statement emphasizes that this decision isn't a reflection on the talent within the affected studios but rather a necessary restructuring to focus on creating high-quality games. The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game, in development at Monolith Productions, is attributed to the strategic shift and a desire to deliver the highest quality experience for the iconic character, which is deemed currently unattainable. WB Games expressed gratitude for the contributions of the three teams. The company aims to return to profitability and growth by 2025.
This news follows earlier reports of difficulties surrounding the Wonder Woman game, including reboots and director changes in early 2024. These challenges come amidst broader struggles within WB Games, including layoffs at Rocksteady, the mixed reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the closure of MultiVersus. The recent departure of long-time games head David Haddad and rumors of a potential sale further highlight the ongoing restructuring.
The closure significantly impacts WB's DC universe gaming efforts, particularly considering James Gunn and Peter Safran's recent announcement that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.
The industry loses three established studios with significant histories. Monolith Productions, founded in 1994 and acquired by WB in 2004, is renowned for the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series and its pioneering Nemesis system. Player First Games, established in 2019, created MultiVersus, a critically acclaimed title that, despite initial success, fell short of expectations. WB San Diego, also founded in 2019, focused on mobile, free-to-play games.
These closures are part of a larger trend in the games industry, marked by increasing layoffs, project cancellations, and studio shutdowns over the past three years. While precise figures for 2025 are less readily available due to decreased reporting, the impact on developers continues a pattern of significant job losses observed in 2023 and 2024, with over 10,000 and 14,000 reported layoffs respectively in those years.
