- Warner Bros. has closed Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego
- The company intends to focus more closely on key franchises
- Monolith Productions was the developer of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Warner Bros. has closed three major studios, Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego, in an effort to increase its profitability.
First reported by Bloomberg, Warner Bros. has subsequently released a statement outlining the cuts. “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,” it read, before listing Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Games of Thrones as areas of focus going forward.
“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,” it continued. The statement clarifies that the development of the upcoming Wonder Woman game, which was being helmed by Monolith, “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,” it said.
Founded in 1994, Monolith was a significant developer responsible for many beloved games. This included horror classics F.E.A.R and Condemned: Criminal Origins in addition to more recent licensed favorites like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
Player First Games was a more recent arrival, founded in 2019 and acquired by Warner Bros. Games in 2024. It developed one title, the free-to-play fighter Multiversus which features characters and worlds from various Warner Bros. properties. Earlier this year it was confirmed that Multiversus will shut down on May 30, 2025.
Warner Bros. Games San Diego also opened in 2019 and was focused on free-to-play mobile development.
It is currently unclear how many staff will be affected by the closures.
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
