Wonder Woman Game Is Canceled, Multiple Studios Closed

Update: The new Wonder Woman game has been canceled, with Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego closing as part of a major shakeup at Warner Bros. Games. This changes the previous news from February 10 (see below) which gave hope to the future of the anticipated title despite it being years away from release. Warner Bros. Games confirmed this following a breaking news report from Jason Schreier of Bloomberg. Monolith Productions was founded in 1994 and was more recently known for licensed games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. The studio also created the F.E.A.R. and Condemned franchises. Warner Bros. acquired the company in 2004. Player First, meanwhile, is the developer behind the ill-fated multiplayer game MultiVersus, which is closing this May. Warner Bros. acquired Player First in 2024. MultiVersus was the team's first game. WB San Diego is more recently established studio that was contributing to "the future of AAA free-to-play games." In a statement, Warner Bros. Games said it made the "very difficult" decision to restructure its development teams, resulting in these studio closures. Going forward, Warner Bros. Games said it will focus on four major franchises: Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. The statement said the decision to close the three studios was a "strategic change" that had nothing to do with the teams or the talented individuals working there. As for the new Wonder Woman game, Warner Bros. said it wanted to make "the highest quality" game, but "unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities." Wonder Woman is, of course, a DC property, but it seemingly is not a fit within the company's new strategy. "This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith's storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games," the company said. WBD gaming boss JB Perrette announced these decisions in a memo to staff today obtained by Polygon. He said some staff who were not laid off will be reassigned to other internal roles where possible. He also said Warner Bros. will look to do more in the mobile games space and aims to "regain our credibility and swagger at producing great games." Perrette also reflected on some of the company's recent misses in gaming, saying the "product-market fit and quality of too many of our new releases has really missed the mark." He added: "We need to and will do better for our fans first and foremost, and also because regaining that credibility is critical to us securing even more investment in games in the years to come." From February 10, 2025: A new report on Monolith's Wonder Woman video game has emerged, claiming that the project has undergone a reboot behind the scenes and has so far cost Warner Bros. over $100 million. It's claimed that the Wonder Woman game is still years away from being released. "A video game based on Wonder Woman, has struggled to coalesce, according to people familiar with the project," Bloomberg's Jason Schreier wrote. "Early last year, it was rebooted and switched directors. The game has already cost more than $100 million, said the people who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information, and is still years away from release, if it ever makes it to market." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyA8lnp9Tzg&ab_channel=WarnerBros.Games Schrier also says that Monolith was originally interested in developing a new franchise after it released Middle-earth: Shadow of War in 2017--one that would incorporate procedural storytelling in its design. Warner Bros. executives reportedly weren't interested in this proposal, and three years later, the project was canceled. The executives suggested that Monolith should instead work on one of the company's franchises, and after the departure of studio head Kevin Stephens and several key creatives--who would go on to form a new studio at EA to work on a Black Panther game--the rest of Monolith began development on the Wonder Woman game. Schrier's report says that an early version of the game attempted to reimagine the Nemesis system from the Mordor games, allowing Wonder Woman to befriend her enemies. This idea was eventually scrapped "in favor of a more traditional action-adventure game" and the future of the project might be in jeopardy. Monolith's Wonder Woman game was first revealed at The Game Awards in 2021, but since then, the studio has kept quiet on development aside from confirmation that it will not be a live-service title. Reports of a troubled development first began cropping up last year. This follows a trend at Warner Bros. Games, as recent projects have failed to take off. Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a $200 million flop for the company, Warner Bros. Montreal's Gotham Knights saw lukewarm sales when it launched, and MultiVersus will shut down in May.

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