With Hogwarts Legacy sales already crossing 24 million copies to date, Warner Bros. Discovery’s gaming division is well afloat in tidal gaming waters. The failure of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League must be a hard hit for the company. Still, IPs worth over $1 billion apiece including DC, Mortal Kombat, and Game of Thrones are more than enough to absorb the blow
Jean-Briac Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, is hoping to sustain this successful cash flow by getting into the gaming zone more. The company is already in the market of developing AAA games for consoles and now they are planning to bring them to other platforms too. To strengthen its position in the $200 billion gaming market, it will also continue to invest in live service games.
Perrette Has Got Something in Mind For Hogwarts Legacy
Depending on a single game doesn’t strike as a great plan for J.B. Perrette, especially in the volatile market. But branching out does according to his comments from a recent event:
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?
The WBD president isn’t sure about the future of the gaming industry so he is betting on the idea of owning IP rights. There was a mention of virtual reality which he believes will “increase in scale and adoption.” The concept is typically used alongside metaverse which many believe is already something of a dead space.
WBD is currently developing a Wonder Woman game for the DC universe, as well as a Quidditch game for the Wizarding World. The poor reception that the Suicide Squad game received has DC fans worried that Wonder Woman will be another title plagued with live service nonsense. Hopefully the Quidditch game won’t suffer the same sad fate.
The Gaming Market Isn’t Crumbling, It Just Needs More Quality to Thrive
Several companies are struggling to sustain themselves in the gaming industry as recent layoffs suggest. While Sony announced the 8 percent reduction in headcount, it also affected the development of a Twisted Metal game that was reportedly under development. PS5 sales too weren’t satisfactory and affected the company’s share price.
Similarly, Microsoft recently wiped 1,900 employees from Activision Blizzard and its Xbox division. Interestingly, the US tech giant acquired the Call of Duty maker for a whopping $69 Billion last year. During the year-long process, regulators across the globe were raising concerns regarding the potential for a monopoly to be created in the market.
Esports gaming too appears to be in bad shape as Activision is involved in a lawsuit that may cost them $680 Million. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean everything is going to crumble. If users look at games like Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, Alan Wake 2, and more, they’ll realize quality content is the fittest survivor.
How do you think WBD will tackle the now volatile gaming market? Tell us in the comments section below.
