Update, February 25, 2025: In a statement, Warner Bros. Games said the decision to close three studios was “very difficult” and “not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them,” but merely the result of a “strategic change in direction.”
It’s unclear at this time how many developers will be impacted by the closures, but Monolith’s LinkedIn profile states it employs 201-500 people, WB Games San Diego lists 51-200 employees, and Player First 11-50 staff.
“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,” Warner Bros. told Kotaku in a statement.
“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 that consists within them.
“The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward. Our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible 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,” the statement concludes. “As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.”
Original story: Warner Bros. Games is shuttering Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros San Diego.
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Warner Bros. has also cancelled its upcoming Wonder Woman game.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Games told Bloomberg the shutdowns were “not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.”
“The quality of too many of our new releases has really missed the mark,” JB Perrette, head of games and streaming for Warner Bros., told staff in the memo.
“We need to make some substantial changes to our portfolio/team structure if we are to commit the necessary resources to get back to a ‘fewer but bigger franchises’ strategy.”
Last month, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president, David Haddad, stood down after 12 years leading the company. In December, almost 100 developers were laid off from Warner Games Montreal.
The cuts came after Warner Bros Discovery reported it had taken “another $100+ million impairment” due to the “underperforming” MultiVersus, a free-to-play crossover fighting game. It was recently announced the game would be delisted and all online functionality disabled in May 2025.
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