Why was the Wonder Woman game canceled? Possibilities explored

For those looking forward to it, the Wonder Woman game that was in development at Warner Bros. Games has been quietly canceled, as first reported by insider Jason Schrier. This comes after a line of tough decisions to shutter the doors of developer Monolith Productions, as confirmed by the publisher in an official email to Kotaku.

This loss will no doubt be sorely felt by fans of both the beloved DC Comics IP as well as those who loved the studios' past works. Read on to know more.

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Why was Wonder Woman canceled at Monolith Productions?

This news will no doubt be heartbreaking to fans around the globe (Image via Warner Bros. Games)

According to the publisher, this move comes after several studios under them were permanently disbanded to recoup profits. This is likely due to several WB-published games across the board flopping commercially, like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.

Affected studios include Monolith Productions, known for the open-world Middle-Earth Shadow games, and Player First Games, which created the hit-yet-underperforming f2p platform fighter, Multiversus.

Wonder Woman was in development at the former developer and also reported to include features such as the beloved Nemesis System that would make for unique and complex enemy AI during battles across open-world environments.

Here's what the company had to say regarding the closure of the studio:

"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. 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."

They also touched upon the Wonder Woman game briefly:

"The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame 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. 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."

Given previous reports stating that the game was in trouble at the studio, this move is not surprising. If on track, it would have been the very first AAA outing for the classic Amazonian superheroine renowned for her golden Lasso of Truth.

Paired with gameplay similar to the Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War games, it was most certainly one of the most exciting upcoming projects in the works.

Sadly, that will not be happening anymore. Ironically, this comes after DC Comics has confirmed that they are working with Warner Bros. Games with big names like James Gunn to continue looking at future projects concerning their iconic IPs. So, perhaps we may see Wonder Woman in the future in some other format if we are lucky.