Warner Bros. Games has made the significant decision to close three of its development studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego. This move comes in light of challenges faced during the development of the Wonder Woman game, which has now been canceled, as well as the impending shutdown of MultiVersus.
Monolith Productions’ Legacy
Among the studios affected, Monolith Productions has a rich history in the gaming industry, having been established in 1994. The studio is renowned for creating titles such as Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, No One Lives Forever, Tron 2.0, F.E.A.R., Condemned, and the critically acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. Its last release was in October 2017. At The Game Awards 2021, Monolith announced it was developing a Wonder Woman game that would incorporate an original storyline along with the studio’s recognizable Nemesis system, previously seen in the Middle-earth series. However, reports indicate that development was far from completion, leading Warner Bros. Games to reassess their priorities.
Official Statement from Warner Bros. Games
The publisher issued the following statement regarding the studio closures:
We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises — Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent within them. The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward. Our hope was to provide players and fans with the highest quality experience possible for this iconic character, but unfortunately, this is no longer achievable within our strategic priorities.
This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith’s storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games. We greatly admire the passion of the three teams and thank every employee for their contributions. As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about producing high-quality games for our passionate fans, developed by our world-class studios, and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.
Impact on Warner Bros. Games
Despite the tremendous success of Hogwarts Legacy, which became the best-selling game of 2023, Warner Bros. Games has struggled with several underperforming titles, including Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and MultiVersus. The lengthy development cycles observed in many of the studio’s projects, often spanning six to seven years, have added to these challenges, significantly longer than the industry standard for triple-A titles.
This latest round of closures is a further indication of the turbulent landscape within the gaming industry, which continues to experience substantial layoffs and studio closures.
