It’s another day in the gaming industry, which means there’s more unfortunate news. Reporter Jason Schreier shared on Tuesday that publisher Warner Bros. Games is shuttering Wonder Woman developer Monolith Productions, as well as MultiVersus developer Player First Games and the support team at Warner Bros. Games San Diego.
Monolith Productions was previously known for its work on the first-person shooter franchise F.E.A.R, as well as more recently, 2014’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and 2017’s Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
These two Middle-earth games used the proprietary Nemesis System, a kind of gaming mechanic where individual Orcs could be injured and remember the protagonist in different ways, meaning no two players’ experiences would be the same.
Monolith Productions announced that it was working on a Wonder Woman game at the Game Awards 2021, but little else was announced in the following years, outside of the fact this game would also use the Nemesis system.
Player First Games was acquired by Warner Bros. in July 2024. In January 2025, the team announced that its game MultiVersus would be shutting down later in the year.
Warner Bros. Games narrows focus to a handful of blockbusters
In a statement, Warner Bros. blamed the closures on a “strategic change,” and added that despite hundreds of developers being laid off, that the decision was not a reflection on the teams’ work.
Looking ahead, Warner Bros. Games says that it is increasingly focused on the DC, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and Mortal Kombat franchises.
The struggles at Warner Bros. Games were recently detailed in a separate report by Jason Schreier, where he noted that Monolith’s Wonder Woman game had undergone multiple reboots and was still years away from shipping.
Rocksteady Studios is reportedly working on a new Batman project, but this game is early in development and won’t be ready for years to come. Warner Bros. Games Montreal is reportedly primarily acting as a support studio, with leadership looking to pitch a Games of Thrones title.
Schreier’s report noted that former Warner Bros. Games division head David Haddad was repeatedly accused of being indecisive, taking months to make simple decisions and bogging down development efforts for the staff below him.
Teams across Warner Bros. Games are also reportedly working on an expansion for Avalanche Software’s 2023 hit Hogwarts Legacy, which was the best-selling game in the U.S. that year and has continued to sell well into 2025.
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