Warner Bros. Games Cancels ‘Wonder Woman’ Title and Closes 3 Studios in Major Cost-Cutting Shake-Up

Warner Bros. Discovery is tightening its belt to improve its gaming business.

Sadly, the company has decided to cancel a “Wonder Woman” game that was in development for over three years. This open-world adventure was being created by Monolith Productions, which is now being shut down. Two other studios, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego, are closing as well. Player First Games, known for the platform fighter “MultiVersus,” was acquired by WB Games in July 2024, but this game too is being phased out.

In a statement to Variety, a Warner Bros. Games spokesperson said, “While today is tough, we are committed to delivering high-quality games for our dedicated fans. Our goal is to restore profitability and growth in our Games business by 2025 and beyond.”

The “Wonder Woman” game was announced in December 2021. It promised an original story where players would embody Diana of Themyscira, uniting her Amazon family with the modern world. However, the development won’t continue as planned. The spokesperson noted their aim was to provide an exceptional experience for fans, but this is no longer feasible with the current strategy.

The company explained that these closures are part of a strategic shift rather than a reflection on the talent of the teams involved. They’ve opted to focus on major franchises like Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. This restructuring was first reported by Bloomberg.

Recently, David Haddad, the head of Warner Bros. Games for 12 years, announced he would be leaving the company.

2024 has been challenging for Warner Bros. Games. The release of “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” didn’t meet expectations, especially when compared to the immense success of “Hogwarts Legacy” in 2023. CEO David Zaslav and CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels have indicated a shift away from traditional AAA games toward live service games and mobile titles.

In Q3 2024, Wiedenfels noted that Warner Bros. Discovery faced a $100 million impairment charge in its games division due to underperforming releases. This brings the total write-down for the year to over $300 million.