WB Games shutters three studios and cancels Wonder Woman

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Warner Bros. Games has declared the shutdown of three game development studios, among them being Monolith Productions, famed for the Shadow of Mordor series. This decision also includes the shelving of the eagerly anticipated Wonder Woman game that Monolith was developing. As per Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, the other two studios affected are Player First Games, creators of the multiplayer platform fighter MultiVersus, and WB San Diego, a studio specializing in mobile games production for the vast publisher.

WB Games cancels Wonder Woman game and shuts down three studios

For several years now, WB Games has faced challenges in the gaming industry. Since as early as 2021, Monolith Productions have been developing the Wonder Woman game, a project that was reportedly rebooted in early 2024 after already investing over a hundred million dollars into it. This indicates that the game has already drained a significant amount of resources from WB Games, with more years of development still ahead. It’s disheartening to witness such a talented studio close its doors without getting to showcase their take on the iconic DC superheroine.

Previously this year, WB Games halted progression on two live-service games – one being Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus, a platform fighter developed by another studio involved in these shutdowns. The last update for Suicide Squad was released in January, but there seems to be hope for Rocksteady as they are rumored to be developing a fresh single-player Batman game, a project that brought them success in the past. Unfortunately, MultiVersus is not so fortunate. Season 5 will mark the end of updates for this live service title, and developers plan to release an offline version for continued play. However, fans on BlueSky are questioning if these closures could impact the future plans, which were anticipated to last until the end of May.

According to Kotaku, Ethan Gach posted a message from WB Games on social media. The post states, “We’ve had to make some tough choices to organize our game development studios and investments around our main franchises – Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC Comics, and Game of Thrones.” It seems that WB Games is working on a follow-up for the 2023 hit game Hogwarts Legacy. In regards to the studio closures, the message reads, “This is a strategic shift in focus and not a comment on the quality of these teams or the skills of their members.

Concerning the termination of “Wonder Woman”, the message indicates: “We had aimed to deliver an exceptional gaming experience for players and fans featuring the iconic character, but sadly, this can no longer align with our strategic objectives.” At present, it remains unclear how many team members will be affected or if any are to be reassigned to other WB Games studios and ventures. As the situation unfolds, we await further details for clarification.

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2025-02-26 00:02