In a recent Morgan Stanley speaking event (thanks Gamespot), Warner Bros. has said that going forward, its strategy will focus on more live-service, mobile, and free-to-play games.
Warner Bros. Discovery gaming boss J.B. Perrette said on the company’s future strategy, “We’re doubling down on games as an area where we think there is a lot more growth opportunity that we can tap into with the IP that we have and some of the capabilities we have on the studio where we’re uniquely positioned as both a publisher and a developer of games.”
“Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?” he continued.
The move does come somewhat of a surprise considering Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy was 2023’s best-selling title, which is the first time a game has dethroned Call of Duty or a Rockstar game in over 15 years. By the end of 2023, Hogwarts Legacy achieved a sales milestone of 22 million copies sold – and if that’s not good enough, what is?
In late 2023, Insider Gaming exclusively reported that Warner Bros. currently does have a live service Harry Potter game in development named ‘Quidditch Champions‘. The game is a twist on the very popular Rocket League, where players need to score a ball in hoops, but does offer fluid and fast-paced gameplay that does have a skill-gap that players could come to enjoy.
Late last year, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions had its biggest playtest yet, suggesting that the game could be nearing a release.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Baldur’s Gate 3 will have four discs on Xbox
We as consumers must make sure that WB fails. They are doing the complete opposite of what the vast majority of gamers want from them.
It doesn’t make money they would be better off licensing off properties for games.
I would rather play Multiversus over all their modern garbage the AAA games industry is dead the future is F2P get with the times boomer.
I’m 29 before you go with the boomer comment, btw a comment used by those without the intelligence for an actual counterpoint. Probably know a lot more gamers compared to a troglodyte like you, none want what you want. But good job representing the problem these days, constantly screaming vocal minorities on issues. Have a nice life.
How does this effect current projects like Monolith’s untitled DC game, Wonder Woman, WB Montreal’s 2 DC games, and MK 1 support? Is MK 1 being shut down? I assume MultiVersus is safe since it’s F2P.
Live service games are a plague on the industry. If Ubisoft’s management hadn’t insisted Skull & Bones be live service, the developers would have given us the pirate game they intended, and we wanted.
Hopefully Warner Bros. is as bad as Ubisoft at designing/creating a live service game. IMO part of the reason Skull & Bones player count (and I am still playing this game) is down is because so much of it “feels” like The Division games even though the setting is completely different, and so much of it is busywork. If/when Warner Bros. fails a couple times with live service on top of Ubisoft’s fails and hopefully the entire industry at least begins to abandon the idea.
Good to see that they’ve learned so much from Suicide Squad.
MultiVersus was successful they need to double on that it’s funny they didn’t make that game in house.
How does this effect Mortal Kombat? Is MK dead, is MK going free to play which under the current model should have been the case. Is MK1 dead are they moving to MK2/13? If not does this mean studio closures since none of these studios make live service games and the ones who tried failed.
The year was great when we released a single-player game and it sucked when we released a live service game… so let’s double down on live service games! Bloody clowns, the lot of them.
Because that’s working for them so well…. SSKT JLA is selling so well let’s double down on this live service thing. What are they Crazy look at the loss take it and just walk away. Suicide Squad is piss poor and everyone knows it.