When WarnerMedia span off and then merged with Discovery, it caused a lot of mayhem in the movie world, including the complete cancelation of the Batgirl movie. Many were worried the same would happen to the games division, but it seems like those fears were unfounded. The head of Warner Bros Games, David Haddad, has confirmed they did not cancel any games or suffer developer layoffs following the merger.
The future for WB Games
Unlike its movie counterparts, WB Games is actually doing far better this year than it was doing last year. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and MultiVersus have both done incredibly well for the company. Games still to be released this fiscal year include Gotham Knights, Hogwarts Legacy, and a Harry Potter mobile game. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is coming to consoles and PC at some point during 2023 while there’s also Wonder Woman in the more distant future. In comparison, the publisher only released Back 4 Blood last year. As such, Haddad told Axios “his division is profitable and his teams have been well-supported”. More importantly, the Warner Bros Discovery merger has meant “no layoffs and no projects cut by the new owners,” so they did not cancel any games.
WB Games now seems to be focusing on quality rather than pumping out games before they’re ready. Lego Star Wars, Gotham Knights, Hogwarts Legacy, and Suicide Squad have all been delayed from their original release window. Gotham Knights was canceled for PS4 and Xbox One. All of this is to allow “the right amount of time to deliver the best experiences” and it seems like Warner Bros. is leaving the games division to do its own thing. Haddad said:
“Warner Bros. Discovery leadership has expressed a strong belief in the growth of the games business and being part of that overall company strategy. […] I do believe, especially moving forward, that we have a critically important role to play inside the company.”
In other gaming news, Ubisoft has revealed the PC settings and hardware requirements for Skull & Bones. Elsewhere, Microsoft has said the Xbox Series X|S will not increase in price for now.
