A couple of months ago, reports emerged that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (or WB Games) were up for sale as parent company AT&T looked to settle its debts and streamline internal structuring by selling off assets. Microsoft, EA, Activision, and Take-Two Interactive emerged as the frontrunners in what was potentially looking like a multi-billion dollar deal.
However, less than a month ago, it started looking like things had changed for WB Games, and that AT&T were no longer looking to sell the company off. Now, a new report by Bloomberg claims the same. As per the report, thanks to a recent change in leadership at AT&T (with former COO John Stankey having stepped in as CEO in early July), the company now considers WB Games “too valuable”, and sees value in the potential growth of its business, especially with some major releases coming up.
The one release that Bloomberg’s report mentions specifically is the rumoured upcoming Harry Potter RPG, which could turn out to be a major commercial success if things go right. Other factors are also at play, such as all the licensing arrangements that would have gone hand-in-hand with a potential sale of the entire WB Games division.
WB Games has a couple of other major games releasing in the next few years as well, with Gotham Knights due out in 2021, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League set for a 2022 launch.