The cancellation of the highly anticipated Wonder Woman game sent shockwaves through the gaming community.  Now, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier has shed light on the factors that contributed to this unfortunate decision, linking it to the underperformance of another DC title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Announced in 2021 with a promising teaser, the Wonder Woman game, developed by Monolith Productions (known for Shadow of Mordor and FEAR), ultimately fell victim to internal struggles and external pressures.

According to Schreier, former WB Games head David Haddad's decisions played a significant role in the project's demise.  The cancellation of Monolith's new IP led to the departure of key directors, forcing the studio to rebuild its team while simultaneously working on Wonder Woman.  This, coupled with a shift in game design from the Nemesis system to a more linear action style akin to God of War, further hampered development.

Schreier highlighted the financial impact of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s poor reception, stating that Warner Bros. wrote off approximately $200 million due to its failure. Additional losses from MultiVersus and Quidditch Champions further strained the company’s resources, ultimately contributing to Haddad’s resignation and the cancellation of the Wonder Woman project.

The substantial financial losses incurred by Warner Bros. Games due to the underperformance of several titles, including Suicide Squad, MultiVersus, and Quidditch Champions, created a ripple effect that ultimately led to the cancellation of the Wonder Woman game.  This series of setbacks prompted a change in leadership, with JB Perrette taking the helm and focusing on maximizing profits from established franchises such as Hogwarts Legacy and Game of Thrones.

This isn't the first instance where Suicide Squad's underperformance has negatively impacted game studios.  Reports suggest that developer Rocksteady also faced layoffs earlier this year.  Furthermore, despite a more positive reception than Suicide Squad, MultiVersus is also slated for shutdown in 2025, with Warner Bros. closing its associated studio, Player First Games.