To say superhero adaptations have found groundbreaking levels of success on the big screen would be an understatement. As such, both Marvel and DC have looked to expand these exhilarating stories of good against evil into other mediums—including the likes of video games. Both the Batman Arkham franchise and Marvel's Spider-Man saga have proven that players are eager to step into the shoes of these iconic characters if there are also polished gameplay mechanics and shocking(ly good) stories along the way.
As a result, many superhero video games were green-lit and announced in the past few years, including the likes of Marvel's Blade, Marvel's Wolverine, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, and Monolith Productions' Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, not all of them will get to see the light of day as the industry suffers from even more layoffs and cancelations.
Monolith Productions' Wonder Woman is canceled as the studio closes
Back in 2021, Warner Bros. Games officially announced a Wonder Woman video game by Monolith Productions, the renowned studio responsible for the creation of the highly acclaimed Middle-earth: Shadow of War. This planned DC title would've made use of the Nemesis System — a groundbreaking gameplay mechanic that allowed NPCs to remember the player's every action, allowing for personalized experiences and even narratives down the line. Expectations were at an all-time high for this new title to deliver, especially considering how only one hero out of DC's holy trinity has a successful video game franchise (shout out to the Batman Arkham saga). Unfortunately, Warner went radio silent after the announcement, raising many eyebrows in the process.
Multiple video game events came and went throughout the years and not a word was mentioned about Monolith Productions' Wonder Woman. Tragedy officially struck in early 2024 when the game suffered from a reboot, and the Nemesis System was removed altogether. So with more than three years of development, $100 million being invested, and a reboot on their hands, Warner officially decided to cancel the project. Not only that, but they are also closing three video game studios: Player First Games, Warner Bros. Games San Diego, and Monolith Productions.
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, this is all part of a "strategic" decision in the hopes of making the Warner Bros. Games division profitable:
"This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them (...) 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."
Furthermore, it was also clarified that Warner still intends to develop games centered around their key franchises, including DC itself — a very contradicting statement considering the cancelation of the highly anticipated Wonder Woman game. Besides, it was recently reported that a Flash game was also axed, so it remains unclear how the video game department will grow moving forward.
Rumors suggest Warner will go back to what worked in the past and develop a new Batman game in collaboration with Rocksteady Studios. Furthermore, the heads of DC Studios, James Gun and Peter Safran, were recently in touch with Rocksteady and NetherRealm developers to give feedback about what the story of their upcoming games should be like. After all, a big part of the new focus at DC Studios is to create a big interconnected universe that encompasses TV series, movies, and video games. With that in mind, it's truly unfortunate that Wonder Woman won't be a part of those plans after all.
After the failures of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and MultiVersus—along with the cancelation of big titles such as Wonder Woman and the rumored Flash game—the future doesn't look promising in the slightest for Warner Bros and its video game division. Hopefully, there will be a change for the better moving forward where players will be able to enjoy many memorable adventures that don't always feature Batman as the main protagonist.