Sad news for fans who were still waiting for this software... According to Bloomberg, Warner Bros. Games has shut down Monolith Productions, thereby cancelling all games in development at the studio, including Wonder Woman. The announcement was first relayed by Jason Schreier, a leading journalist on the subject, on the Bluesky social network.
Warner Bros. Games confirmed this to Kotaku:"We've had to make some very tough decisions to restructure our development studios and investments around creating the best possible games with our key franchises - Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones. And so, after careful consideration, we are announcing the closure of three of our development studios - Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego", explains the studio. He continues: "This is part of a change in strategic direction, and has nothing personal to do with the teams or the talents that make them up. Furthermore, development of Monolith's Wonder Woman game will not continue.
Regarding the Wonder Woman game, Warner Bros. Games also gives some details:"Our hope was to offer players and fans the best possible experience for the iconic DC character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities. This is another difficult decision, as we recognize Monolith's legendary history of epic experiences and their track record of making incredible games.
Announced at the Game Awards 2021, the video game, developed with the support of WB Games Montreal, was to plunge players onto theisland of Themyscira alongside Diana, Nubia and a third, as yet unknown character. Yet Warner was a firm believer in its game. According to a Bloomberg article by Jason Schreier, the project was relaunched in early 2023 and underwent a change of direction. This re-launch would have led to a significant increase in costs, with the game's budget now exceeding $100 million. This chaotic development reflects the internal tensions within Warner Bros. Games, which has recently experienced a number of setbacks, notably with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. According to current and former studio employees interviewed by Bloomberg, " the absence of a strong, coherent vision during Haddad's reign " contributed to these difficulties, citing multiple reorganizations and ineffective strategic decisions.
Meanwhile, the overall situation at Warner Bros. Games remains worrying. In 2023, the publisher's video games division posted losses of $300 million, the result of repeated commercial failures and a strategy focused on games as a service that has not borne fruit. The departure of David Haddad, former president of the division, could bring changes, but the restructuring underway is not expected to produce immediate effects. JB Perrette, currently in charge of the division, provides some clarification to our Bloomberg colleagues: " We'll be profitable again in 2025. We won't achieve the desired profitability for another two or three years," he explains.
A response, therefore, to these financial difficulties which will have had the better of the project.
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