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Well, that's a bummer. The highly anticipated Wonder Woman video game, which was first announced back in 2021, has officially been scrapped. Warner Bros. Discovery just confirmed that it's shutting down three of its game studios—Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego—as part of a major restructuring, and unfortunately, Wonder Woman got caught in the crossfire. Instead, WB Games is shifting its focus toward its biggest franchises, including Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones —just, apparently, not the Amazonian warrior.
I've always believed Wonder Woman had the potential to translate into an amazing video game, arguably more so than, say, Superman. The biggest challenge with making a Superman game is that he's just too powerful—if he can fly anywhere on Earth in a second, how do you create a meaningful open world? How do you make combat engaging when most enemies would be obliterated with a flick of his finger? Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is strong enough to feel like a superhero but also has enough variation in her abilities to allow for creative gameplay mechanics.
Her power set has always been a little flexible, depending on the version. Can she fly? Sometimes—other times, she has an invisible jet. Is she bulletproof? Depends—sometimes she blocks bullets with her bracelets, sometimes they bounce off her, and in some stories, she's vulnerable enough to get sniped. That kind of grey area gives developers creative freedom. Plus, her weapons—the Lasso of Truth, her shield, and her tiara—are tailor-made for interactive gameplay, much like Batman's gadgets in the Arkham series.
Warner Bros. Games stated that canceling Wonder Woman wasn't due to any issue with the development team at Monolith but rather a shift in strategic priorities. Following the massive success of Hogwarts Legacy, it seems they're doubling down on their most profitable IPs. While this makes sense from a business perspective, it's still disappointing—especially considering Monolith's impressive track record with the Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor series.
It's a shame that Wonder Woman won't be getting her time to shine in the gaming world just yet, but maybe James Gunn's upcoming reboot of the character in the DCU will reignite interest in giving her the AAA treatment she deserves. Here's hoping this isn't the last time we hear about a Wonder Woman game—because let's be real, she'd make for an absolute powerhouse of a protagonist.