Abdelrahman
BBC Newsbeat
Getty Images
Warner Bros Games will shift focus to other franchises, such as Harry Potter and Mortal Kombat.
Warner Bros Discovery has announced the closure of three gaming development studios.
As a result, the highly awaited Wonder Woman game, which had been in production for three years at Monolith, one of the affected studios, will not be launched.
Additionally, Player First Games, known for MultiVersus, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego will also be shut down.
This decision comes amidst a challenging period in the gaming industry, marked by significant job losses following the boom experienced during the Covid pandemic.
A representative from Warner Bros informed BBC Newsbeat that this “difficult decision” aims to enhance profitability.
Regarding the Wonder Woman game, they expressed: “Our intention was to deliver the highest quality experience for this iconic character, but that is no longer feasible within our strategic framework.”
Just last month, MultiVersus announced that there would be no further updates to the game, which will need to be played offline for the foreseeable future.
Warner Bros intends to concentrate on developing its key franchises, including Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones.
“Despite the difficulty of today, we remain committed to producing high-quality games for our dedicated fans, developed by our talented studios, with the goal of returning our gaming business to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond,” the spokesperson added.
The previous year posed significant challenges for the gaming industry, including game delays, closures of studios worldwide, and thousands of layoffs, notably at Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation.
Warner Bros Games had high hopes for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but the game received negative feedback from both fans and critics.
Sales were disappointing, leading to the termination of updates for the game in January.
Additionally, last month, Warner Bros announced the exit of David Haddad, who had led the gaming division for twelve years.
Overall trends in the gaming industry reveal a struggle with sales as gamers are spending less on new games, opting instead to engage with enduring titles like Fortnite or annual franchises such as Call of Duty and EA Sports FC.
Furthermore, since the pandemic, there has been a decline in consumer spending on new games, while the costs of creating blockbuster titles have risen, leading to reduced investment in the sector.
