Warner Bros shuts down three studios, including Monolith
pcgamesinsider.bizEntertainment giant Warner Bros has shut down three of its studios.
The news was initially reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who wrote that the firm was closing down Monolith Productions, Player First Games and its mobile-focused San Diego studio.
Monolith is an industry veteran, known for hits like Fear and Condemned. In more recent memory, the developer has released Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, and was working on a Wonder Woman title that was announced back in 2021. That project has also been cancelled. Since the news was announced, Warner Bros has filed a WARN notice announcing the laying off of 131 members of staff located in Kirkland, Washington, where Monolith is located, likely related to this news.
Player First, meanwhile, worked on the troubled Multiversus.
Since the initial reporting, Warner Bros has confirmed the news.
"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," a rep for the company said.
"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 video game 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," the statement concludes. "As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing
Read more on pcgamesinsider.biz
