Warner Bros Games will reportedly be split up as part of the new Discovery and WarnerMedia merger.
AT&T is selling off its WarnerMedia division to form a stand-alone merged company with Discovery, but the fate of Warner Bros Games studios is still unknown. There was no mention of Warner Bros Games in the official press release posted by AT&T which announced the merger. IGN’s Julia Alexander has since reported on the news, stating that the sale will include "some of Warner Bros Interactive/Warner Bros Games, but not all".
Correcting part of this tweet:1) The sale includes some of Warner Bros. Interactive/Warner Bros. Games, but not all. 2) The sale does include DC Comics. Discovery, through the new venture, now effectively co-owns DC Comics with WB.3) Rooster Teeth is part of the sale, yes.May 17, 2021
So what does this all mean for Warner Bros Games? For now, we’re not sure just yet, but if these rumors are true then the studio could be being split into two or more separate entities. Warner Bros Games currently has 11 teams worldwide: Monolith Productions, Avalanche Software, NetherRealm Studios, TT Games, Rocksteady Studios, WB Games Montreal, WB Games Boston, WB Games New York, WB Games San Francisco, WB Games San Diego, and WB Los Angeles, which is the headquarters of WB Games.
If these teams are going to be split in half, then it’ll be interesting to see who goes where. The Discovery/Warner Bros merger is all about building one giant company dedicated to streaming and media content, with Discovery picking up the likes of HBO Max, CNN, TNT, and DC Comics in the purchase.
Almost every game that Warner Bros Games’ studios make is linked to a major TV, movie, or comic franchise, so they could all be great assets for this new company. Rocksteady is heavily linked with the Batman franchise thanks to the Arkham games and the upcoming Gotham Knights, so it’d make sense for Discovery to snap them up alongside DC Comics. Likewise NetherRealm is the team behind fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat, which has just had a major movie release on HBO Max.
It seems unlikely that AT&T is looking to hang onto Warner Bros Games in any capacity, given that it was reportedly trying to sell off the gaming division last year. Take-Two, Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard were among the interested parties last year, so it’s possible that some of the WB studios could end up being sold off to other gaming publishers too.
We’ll learn more about this deal in the coming weeks and months, and we’ll hopefully get some clarification on the fate of Warner Bros Games.
We’re expecting to hear about several big games from Warner Bros at E3 2021, including more on Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Hogwarts Legacy.
