Popular Nemesis System ‘wasn’t coming together’ cancelled Wonder Woman game

Monolith was struggling to implement the fan-favorite and patented Nemesis System in the now-canceled Wonder Woman game, it’s claimed.

According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, speaking on Kinda Funny Games Daily, the game, which was canceled alongside the closure of its developer Monolith, faced multiple setbacks during development.

It’s also claimed that the most recent version of the game being worked on before the studio was closed would have eliminated the Nemesis System and instead been more of a traditional action-adventure game, akin to God of War.

Following the success of its two Lord of the Rings games,  the studio was working on a new IP that would have expanded on the Nemesis system’s procedural narrative. “During this time, it’s kind of clear to people at Warner Bros that this game is not going to happen, because people at Warner Bros are not interested in new IP,” said Schreier.

In 2021, the original IP was canceled by Warner Bros, which caused the entire leadership team at the studio to quit. That summer, the studio began working on Wonder Woman. The game would be announced later that year at The Game Awards with a short trailer showing off the character model.

“Warner Bros decides it’s not interested in new IP and decides they (Monolith) are going to make a Wonder Woman game,” Schreier said.

The game was rebooted around the beginning of 2024, switching directors and completely changing the direction of the game.

“The main thing that was rebooted, they were playing around with the idea this idea that Wonder Woman would befriend people, it was the Nemesis System in reverse where they would become your allies, and it wasn’t coming together,” the journalist added.

“They rebooted it to be more of a God of War style more traditional action game, by then it was kind of too late.”

A consultant on the game recently shared some details about what the title might have offered had it seen the light of day.

Reacting to the news in a thread on X, veteran comic book writer Gail Simone, who has penned many issues of Wonder Woman and served as a “long-term” consultant on the canceled title, said, “The game was gorgeous and expansive.”

She wrote: “It was beautiful to look at. I am not going to give details for a number of reasons, but every effort was made to make this not just a great game, but a great WONDER WOMAN game. A showpiece epic.

“And all of that was because of the team. Everyone who worked on it brought their a-game. Programmers, artists, designers, everyone. I don’t know that I have ever worked with a team that cared more about making sure the end product was perfect.”

Warner labeled the game’s cancelation a “tough decision” in a statement released on Tuesday.