The entire WB games division is reportedly being offered for sale. AT&T is said to have entered into discussions to sell Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and its numerous subsidiary companies in a deal that could cost as much as $4 billion.
CNBC reports that sources familiar with the matter have made them aware of this deal. According to these sources, Take-Two Interactive (GTA 5, The Outer Worlds, Borderlands 3), Electronic Arts (Battlefield, Star Wars), and Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty, World of Warcraft) have all expressed interest in buying the WB games division.
One particularly challenging aspect of this deal is the licensing involved. Many of the titles created by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are naturally tied to other Warner Bros. properties like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Naturally, these massive media franchises wouldn't likely be included with the sale, but the studios that made these games would. According to CNBC's analysis, some sort of licensing deal for the new owner would likely be arranged in such a scenario.
Major WB Games Projects Could Soon Move to a New Company
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has a massive catalog of games and IPs to their name, many of which are based on properties owned by Warner Bros. itself. Here's a shortlist of some of the more interesting titles (many of which can be found on Steam) to help you grasp the potential sale of this company:
- The Batman Arkham games
- Hitman 2
- The LEGO games
- The Harry Potter games
- And yes, the LEGO Harry Potter games, natch
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor games
- The Mortal Kombat games
- The Scribblenauts franchise
Each of these franchises are undeniably blockbusters, perhaps with the exception of Scribblenauts as it's a little bit niche. It'd hard to argue against the value of things like Batman, Harry Potter, or the LEGO games, the latter of which has several further cross-promotional tie-ins like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.
It should be noted that this sale is simply being considered; no deals have been finalized, and absolutely no one at any of the involved companies has been willing to comment on the record. If a sale does happen, though, it's sure to be one of the biggest business deals in recent gaming history.
Which new parent company would make for the best home for the WB games catalog? Which company do you think would make the worst choice for a new home? Let us know in the comments below!