Update: Warner Bros has confirmed the studio shutdowns, stating they'll be focusing on other IPs including Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and ironically, DC.
Original story
Warner Bros. has decided to shut down three studios and cancel the upcoming Wonder Woman game. The three developers axed are Monolith Studios, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego.
The news was broke via Jason Schrier, who posted on his Bluesky account that Warner Bros. is shutting down the studios amid uncertainty regarding their gaming division. Sadly, the massive back-to-back failures of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus are very likely the reason behind this drastic decision.
Schrier previously reported on February 7 that Monolith Studio could be in trouble as parent company Warner Bros. Discovery continued to report historic losses. Meanwhile, studios like Rocksteady who needed to navigate the failure of Suicide Squad, still have years left before their new Batman game is ready to come out.
It's clear that WB was banking on both Suicide Squad and MultiVersus to be the beacons to help the WB Games ship navigate this tumultuous period. Both projects were devised as games-as-a-service that unfortunately for the developers, failed to find an audience.
The cancellation of the Wonder Woman game and shut down of Monolith Studios means the gaming industry is losing a very prestigious developer. The studio was behind both Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, with both titles praised for their combat and the innovative Nemesis system. They were also the developers behind F.E.A.R.
As for Player First Games, they were a studio created back in 2022 with MultiVersus being their first developed title.
The Wonder Woman game was officially revealed back in December 2021. It was set out to be an open-world action game "powered by the Nemesis system," that would allow players to create unique connections with both allies and enemies alike.
Sadly, it doesn't seem we'll get to see this vision come to fruition elsewhere without Monolith or a studio that takes under the watchful eye of Warner Bros. The company patented the Nemesis system in 2021.