Distressing News from the World of Video Games

There is more disturbing news today from the world of video games, which has experienced job cuts and shutdowns as part of a broader wave of turmoil in the tech industry. According to a report by Bloomberg, Warner Bros. Games is closing three game studios and canceling its long-awaited Wonder Woman game.

Bloomberg obtained a memo sent to employees, which revealed the closure of Monolith Productions, the team behind the would-be Wonder Woman game, as well as Lord of the Rings titles Shadow of War and Shadow of Mordor. Additionally, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego will also be shut down. This news comes after an earlier Bloomberg article exposed ongoing issues at the company, which have been exacerbated by recent underperforming releases, including Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Regarding the Wonder Woman game, the earlier report noted that after reboots and director changes, “the game has already cost more than $100 million” and “is still years away from release, if it ever makes it to market.”

Now, it has been confirmed that the game’s development will not proceed. In a statement to Kotaku, Warner Bros. Games acknowledged the news, describing the studio closures as a “strategic change of direction” and the cancellation of Wonder Woman as “a tough decision.”

“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 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. 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.

What are your thoughts on these latest developments?

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