Summary
- Warner Bros. San Diego, one of the studios shut down last month, was reportedly working on a kart racer.
- The project, codenamed Moonlight, shifted from console/mobile to PC and went from free-to-play to premium.
- It struggled during development, but the team is said to be frustrated that it didn’t get the chance to launch like MultiVersus.
Warner Bros. reportedly had its own kart racer in development. Apparently, this would have been another crossover game with many of its IPs and could have been an online-focused game like MultiVersus.
This is according to Colin Moriarty on the Sacred Symbols podcast, who spoke with someone “associated” with Warner Bros San Diego, a studio that was shut down last month (thanks, VGC). According to Moriarty’s source, the San Diego studio was working on this “Mario Kart-inspired” racer, which was codenamed Moonlight, but could have been called WB Racers or XDR (Cross-Drift Racers).
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“Like now-defunct studio Player First’s work on MultiVersus, Project Moonlight’s roster of kart drivers would come from Warners’ wide array of IP, including Adventure Time, Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and more,” says Moriarty. He adds that the gameplay was very clearly inspired by Mario Kart, just as MultiVersus’ gameplay was inspired by Super Smash Bros.
However, it appears that development did not go smoothly. It was said to have been in development for console and mobile, before it was eventually reworked to be a PC exclusive, with ports only coming later if the game was successful. It also went from being free-to-play, like MultiVersus, to a premium release. In general, the source tells the podcast that there was “a lack of coherent approach” to the project, and development was “rudderless”.
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Development is said to have broken down last autumn, so it seems that the racer could have still been in development when WB San Diego was shut down in February of this year. The team is said to be frustrated that, during the racer’s development, MultiVersus had two separate launches, whereas this game was never even announced, leaving so much of their work wasted.
While MultIVersus did get to launch, it didn’t fare particularly well. A large break between early access and release failed to turn its fortunes around, and the ill-fated live service is now in its final season.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
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Ubisoft Quebec