REPORT: Warner Bros. Shuts Down Three Studios, Including Multiversus Developer Player First Games

The fallout from the WarnerMedia merger continue to show massive repercussions within WB's structure and mission statement. This has had a profound impact on their video game department. On February 25th, Warner Bros. Games announced they are closing three of their in-house game studios. Player First Games, the developers of the now sundowning platform fighter Multiversus, WB Games San Diego, and Monolith will have their doors shuttered.

According to Kotaku, Warner Bros. Games made the decision in a "change of strategic direction.

"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 said in their 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."

Player First Games (between 11 and 74 employees) was a team of veteran staffers and developers tasked with producing Multiversus. After launching in beta form to resounding praise, even earning it the Fighting Game of the Year award in 2022, the game went dark for nearly a year and launching in March of 2024. But with an underwhelming string of new content to view the game as a robust experience, the player base didn't return with the same fervor. Wb Games announced support for the game will wrap up in May 2025.

Monolith Productions (estimated around 170 employees), who developed Middle-Earth: Shadow of War and the F.E.A.R. series, was working on an upcoming Wonder Woman game. With the closing of the studio, the game is now on the cutting room floor. It had been in development since 2021, and was initially revealed at the 2021 Game Awards. Whether or not this has anything to do with James Gunn's vision for DC related content remains to be learned.

"The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward," the statement continues. "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."

WB Games has seen a stretch of underwhelming software across the video game spectrum. With the middling results of Gotham Knights and the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (WB revealing that the game incurred a $200 million dollar loss), the amount of misdirection comes to a head. Rocksteady Studios remains around, but if WB Games sees fit on diverting their focus towards a narrower field, this leaves little room for creative expression to subvert expectations from shareholders. This trend will continue to see trims across the industry.

SOURCE: Kotaku