Warner Bros. Shutters Wonder Lady Project and Monolith Studios in Strategic Restructuring

UPDATE 21.33pm: Warner Bros. has acknowledged reports regarding the cancellation of the Wonder Woman project and the shutdown of three of its studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego – describing the decision as a “strategic shift in direction”.

“We have been compelled to make several challenging choices to align our development studios and financial investments around creating the highest quality games possible with our prominent franchises – Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones,” the spokesperson stated in a statement to Kotaku.

“After thorough reflection, we are ceasing operations for three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This represents a strategic alteration and does not reflect upon the teams or the capabilities they possess.”

“The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman video game will not proceed,” Warner Bros. further stated. “We aimed to provide players and fans with the best possible experience for the iconic character, but regrettably, this is no longer feasible with our current strategic priorities. This was another difficult choice, as we acknowledge Monolith’s rich history of delivering memorable fan experiences through outstanding games.”

“We hold great respect for the passion of the three teams and express our gratitude to every employee for their contributions,” Warner Bros. concluded. “As challenging as today is, we remain dedicated to returning to the production of high-quality games for our devoted fans, developed by our world-class studios, and achieving profitability and growth in our Games division by 2025 and beyond.”

Warner Bros. head of video games and streaming JB Perrette candidly addressed the closures and cancellations in a memo to staff obtained by Bloomberg. “The quality of too many of our recent releases has really missed the mark,” Perrette noted. “We would prefer to implement significant changes to our portfolio/team structure if we are to allocate the necessary resources to adopt a ‘fewer but bigger franchises’ strategy.”

Monolith Productions was the longest-running among the three studios affected by Warner Bros.’s shutdowns. Established in 1994, it built an impressive portfolio of acclaimed titles over the years, including The Operative: No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Warner Bros. Games San Diego was founded in 2019, while Player First Games – known for the ill-fated free-to-play fighter MultiVersus – was established in 2021. Warner Bros. has not disclosed how many employees will lose their jobs due to its “strategic shift in direction.”

ORIGINAL STORY 7.34pm: Following recent reports that Warner Bros.’s Wonder Woman game was in jeopardy and still “years away from release”, the company has now reportedly canceled the project and closed down its developer Monolith Productions as part of a series of studio shutdowns.

This is according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who made the claim in a post shared on BlueSky. “Warner Bros. Games is shutting down Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego, sources inform Bloomberg News,” Schreier stated. “Warner Bros. is also canceling the Wonder Woman game.”

Schreier initially indicated Wonder Woman was in trouble earlier this month, as part of