AT&T Deal Leaves Future of Batman, Mortal Kombat, and Harry Potter Games Studios in Question
Following today's announcement that AT&T is spinning off WarnerMedia for a merger with Discovery, [...]
Following today's announcement that AT&T is spinning off WarnerMedia for a merger with Discovery, it has been revealed that WB Games will be split up. The video game publisher will see some properties and studios end up with the newly formed company, while others will stay with AT&T. At this time, little in the way of specific information has been revealed, but it does raise questions about the company's video game properties, including Batman, Harry Potter, and Mortal Kombat. Obviously, these franchises remain important ones, but it goes to show just how far-reaching the impact of the deal will be.
Reps from Axios have been given details about the split. A Tweet regarding the move can be found embedded below.
WB Games is getting broken up somehow due to AT&T's WarnerMedia-Discovery sale/merger. "Some of the gaming arm will stay with AT&T and some will go with the new company," rep tells Axios' @sarafischer. No further info. WB Games lists 11 studios, games for all kinds of IP, devices
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) May 17, 2021
WB Games (also known as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) is comprised of multiple major video game studios. Some of these include TT Games (LEGO games), Rocksteady Studios (Batman Arkham series), NetherRealm Studios (Mortal Kombat), Avalanche Software (Hogwarts Legacy), and more. Last year there were reports that AT&T was planning to sell off WB Games, with several major publishers rumored as potential buyers, including PlayStation and EA. Instead, AT&T will be going a different route.
At this time, WB Games has several high-profile games in development, including LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Hogwarts Legacy. It seems like a safe bet that these projects are all safe following the merger, it's just unclear exactly which company will end up publishing them.
In another Tweet, Axios' Sara Fischer confirmed that the new company has been named, but the name won't be revealed until "later this week or early next week." Hopefully by that time fans of WB Games will have some clearer answers about the future of these studios.
How do you feel about the split up of WB Games? Are you hopeful for the future of these companies? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!