Warner Bros. Cancels Wonder Woman Game, Closes Three Studios

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. This news was first reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Bluesky and later confirmed in a statement to Kotaku.

In the statement, Warner Bros. explained that the decision to close these studios and cancel the Wonder Woman project was part of a strategic shift to focus on key franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. The company emphasized that this move was not a reflection on the talent within the affected studios but a necessary step to realign their development efforts.

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.

The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game follows earlier reports of development troubles, including a reboot and change of directors in early 2024. These challenges were part of broader difficulties within Warner Bros.' gaming division, highlighted by layoffs at Rocksteady, the disappointing reception to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the shutdown of MultiVersus.

Additionally, the gaming division has undergone significant changes, with long-time head David Haddad leaving the company and rumors suggesting the division might be sold off. This recent move specifically impacts Warner Bros.' efforts to expand its DC universe in gaming, especially as James Gunn and Peter Safran recently indicated that the first DCU video game is still a couple of years away.

Monolith Productions, established in 1994 and acquired by Warner Bros. in 2004, is known for its critically acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Shadow of War. The studio pioneered the innovative Nemesis system, which Warner Bros. successfully patented in 2021. Player First Games, founded in 2019, developed MultiVersus, which, despite critical acclaim and initial success, did not meet Warner Bros.' expectations. WB San Diego, also established in 2019, focused on mobile and free-to-play games.

These closures are part of a larger trend of layoffs, project cancellations, and studio shutdowns in the games industry. In 2023, over 10,000 game developers were laid off, with the number rising to over 14,000 in 2024. While 2025 has seen numerous closures, the exact impact on individuals remains unclear due to fewer companies reporting these layoffs and shutdowns, or specific numbers affected.