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.
The statement cited a strategic shift focusing development on key franchises like Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. While acknowledging the talent and contributions of the affected teams, WB stated that continuing development on the Wonder Woman game was no longer aligned with its strategic priorities. The company aims to return to profitability and growth by 2025.
This decision follows earlier reports of challenges within WB's gaming division, including the troubled development of the Wonder Woman game, layoffs at Rocksteady, the mixed reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the shutdown of MultiVersus, and the recent departure of long-time games head David Haddad. Rumors of a potential sale of the gaming division have also circulated.
The closure significantly impacts WB's DC universe gaming initiatives, particularly 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 2019), responsible for MultiVersus, and WB San Diego (established 2019), focused on mobile free-to-play games, also face closure.
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 for 2025 are less readily available, the pattern of significant job losses in 2023 (over 10,000) and 2024 (over 14,000) continues.
