What the Hell Happened to Warner Bros. Games?

Instead of beating around the bush, let me cut straight to the point: Warner Bros. Games has made some significant changes in their studios – they’ve closed Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego. Additionally, a project that had been in the works for quite some time now, “Wonder Woman,” an action-adventure game from Monolith, has been cancelled without any notable updates since its initial announcement back in 2021.

The explanation for the studio shutdowns is that they are reorganizing their development studios and investments to focus on creating top-tier games based on their main franchises such as Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC Comics, and Game of Thrones. This move is referred to as a “strategic shift in direction” and does not reflect negatively on the teams or the talent within them.

About Wonder Woman, it appears that the company had aimed to offer an exceptional experience for this legendary character, but unfortunately, achieving this quality no longer aligns with our current strategic plans. This decision is difficult, as we acknowledge Monolith’s impressive history of crafting immersive gaming experiences for fans. We hold in high regard the dedication and passion of the three teams involved, and we extend our gratitude to every employee for their hard work and contributions.

Regardless of today’s challenges, take heart because Warner Bros. is fully committed to delivering top-notch games to our dedicated followers, and we aim to revive our game production business and achieve profitability and growth by 2025 and beyond. Rest assured that this doesn’t mean the teams or talent are lacking in any way; it’s merely a matter of company strategy. However, this statement may come across as dismissive, like an “It’s not you, it’s us” situation.

It’s reasonable to consider the closures of Player First Games and WB Games San Diego as a logical decision from a “business standpoint.” The game MultiVersus, which was a significant financial disappointment for Warner Bros, incurring a loss of $100 million, has announced that it will be discontinuing its online services in May, leaving only offline play as an option. Additionally, WB Games San Diego, founded in 2019 to focus on developing free-to-play mobile games, has yet to deliver any notable successes.

It seems I’ve been quite disappointed lately, as many of the company’s releases haven’t resonated with me, according to a memo reportedly penned by JB Perrette, head of games and streaming at WB. The memo suggests that if we want to dedicate the required resources to our “fewer but bigger franchises” approach, significant adjustments need to be made within our portfolio or team structure.

Among the notable releases, “MultiVersus” wasn’t the only one that fell short. Other significant disappointments included “Quidditch Champions” and “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.” The latter was particularly noteworthy due to its debut of universally criticized gameplay in 2023, experiencing a nearly year-long delay, and still receiving negative feedback upon launch. Despite this, it continued to receive updates and new content until January 2024, causing an estimated $200 million loss in revenue for Warner Bros.

It appears that the current predicament is largely attributed to the suboptimal choices made by the former president of WB Games, David Haddad, throughout his tenure. As Bloomberg previously mentioned this month, it was during his administration that these initiatives were approved. Additionally, there’s the issue of WB Games Montreal being sidelined with their Suicide Squad project. Even when they proposed alternative ideas such as Constantine, these proposals were ignored. A Flash video game was another proposal, but after the film’s failure, this too was abandoned. The discontent reportedly caused by dealing with WB Games led many leaders from the Montreal studio to leave over the years.

Initially, there were several concerning aspects regarding the production of Wonder Woman. For instance, it was said that the film underwent a reboot last year with a budget of approximately $100 million, yet the creative process seemed to lack unity or harmony. Moreover, the innovative Nemesis System, renowned from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, appeared to be sidelined in favor of a more conventional action-adventure format, which had not been utilized before.

It is possible that Warner Bros. Games is taking corrective measures in response to the mistakes made by Haddad, particularly given their substantial impact on the company’s projected revenue for 2024. However, it seems puzzling that they emphasize focusing on key franchises such as DC when Wonder Woman is also a DC property. This could imply that the upcoming rumored Batman game from Rocksteady Studios, which won’t be released for several years, might not be the only DC title they are working on.

Additionally, shutting down studios and temporarily laying off staff with the intention of later crediting these cost savings as operational enhancements might be a future objective. It’s essential to satisfy investors and shareholders by delivering profits before the upcoming quarterly financial reports.

Regardless of how one may attempt to rationalize it, this represents an immense squandering of talent. Whether or not you were a fan of MultiVersus, its initial potential and dedicated fanbase were gradually eroded by its live-service goals and monetization strategies. Is it mere coincidence that these issues emerged in the same year as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s announcement emphasizing a focus on live-service titles to “boost user engagement and monetization over extended periods and at greater levels?

It’s particularly disheartening that Monolith Productions, known for delivering cherished titles spanning over three decades, is now facing difficulties. Titles like “Condemned,” “Blood,” “Shogo: Mobile Armor Division,” “Alien vs. Predator 2,” and many more continue to be classics, often ranking among my personal favorites. To learn that the studio might struggle due to poor management, with executives hinting at a focus on “high-quality games” but apparently restricting the studio from working on other projects, is truly disappointing. If a project as iconic as “Wonder Woman” were canceled, it wouldn’t come as a shock, especially if WB Games decided against bearing additional costs. However, dismantling the entire studio leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

2023 and beyond, it seems that this industry might experience further job cuts, much like it has since late 2023. It’s important to recall that giants such as Sony, Microsoft, EA, and Take-Two Interactive have already undergone layoffs or studio shutdowns during this period. Not to mention the turmoil surrounding NetEase Games and their rumored plans to sell off numerous international business endeavors.

Nevertheless, these situations are further instances of problems arising from some debatable moves taken by Warner Bros. Discovery in recent years. As they gear up for the next release of Hogwarts Legacy (with rumors of additional content) and whatever Rocksteady is working on, it’s challenging to genuinely feel enthusiastic about these upcoming projects.

What other initiatives might be terminated due to earlier mismanagement? Who else could potentially face unexpected cancellation as a result of leadership mistakes? Regardless of whether things turn around or not, it’s ultimately the developers who bear the brunt of the consequences, regardless of their previous achievements or allegiance, even when upper management falters.

Please take note that the opinions shared within this article belong solely to the writer. They do not reflect or bind the stance of GamingBolt collectively as a platform.

2025-02-28 15:22

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