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 Games San Diego. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier initially broke the news on Bluesky, later confirmed by Warner Bros. 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, the company explained the Wonder Woman game's cancellation stemmed from an inability to meet their quality standards within current strategic priorities.
This decision follows earlier reports of challenges facing the Wonder Woman project, including reboots and director changes in early 2024. These issues coincided with broader struggles within WB Games, including layoffs at Rocksteady, the mixed reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the shutdown of MultiVersus. Further complicating matters, long-time games head David Haddad recently departed, fueling speculation about a potential sale of the division.
The closures represent a significant setback for WB's DC universe gaming ambitions, 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 significant studios. 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, developed MultiVersus, which, despite initial success, fell short of expectations. WB Games San Diego, also founded in 2019, focused on mobile, free-to-play titles.
These closures are part of a larger trend in the games industry. The past three years have witnessed numerous layoffs, cancellations, and studio closures. While precise figures for 2025 remain unclear due to reduced reporting, the trend of significant job losses continues a pattern established in 2023 and 2024, which saw over 10,000 and 14,000 game developers laid off, respectively.
