Warner Bros. Games Plans for 2025 Involves Tentpole Franchises like Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat

Warner Bros. shared in a recent letter to its shareholders that their games division had a less than ideal year in 2024. However, they have strategies set for 2025 to perform better within the gaming market. A key part of this strategy involves WB Games redirecting resources and investments towards well-established intellectual properties (IP) and games from renowned, top-tier studios.

The firm views its game division as a key competitive advantage, or “strategic differentiator,” because studios operating under Warner Bros. Games can leverage the company’s diverse intellectual properties to develop games. Moreover, they acknowledge that the gaming industry is experiencing rapid expansion, with over three billion gamers worldwide, making it one of the most dynamic sectors in media.

In a recent letter, the studio acknowledged that 2024 was less than satisfactory for their Games division. To improve performance, they’ve unveiled a restructuring strategy aimed at channeling resources and funds into established intellectual properties (IP) and games developed by renowned studios. Specifically, they are centering their gaming efforts around four blockbuster franchises: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and DC Universe, with a focus on top-selling characters such as Batman from the latter.

In a recent correspondence, Hogwarts Legacy was among the highly anticipated video games mentioned. The open-world game’s extraordinary sales performance has positioned it as one of just three Warner Bros. franchises in the past 15 years to rank among the top-selling games of the year.

Two years ago, our Games team introduced Hogwarts Legacy, launching an entirely new gaming series that became the top-selling game of the year. This accomplishment has been achieved by only three other franchises over the past 15 years. With this success under our belt, we are optimistic that our renewed strategy will enable us to create games designed for lasting consumer interaction. We anticipate this will return our Games division to profitability in 2025 and position it as a more substantial driver of growth in the future.

The letter echoes the statements made by David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discover, to shareholders in November 2024. Recognizing the challenges faced in the gaming sector, Zaslav indicated that studios under the WB Games umbrella would prioritize their four main intellectual properties moving forward.

According to Zaslav, we possess four highly successful and lucrative video game series that boast a dedicated, international fanbase: Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, specifically Batman. Our primary focus is now directed towards these key franchises, leveraging established studios to enhance our likelihood of success.

Lately, Warner Bros. decided to redirect its resources and shuttered three of its production studios: Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego. Additionally, they abandoned the project for a video game based on the popular character, Wonder Woman.

The studio stated, “This shift in our path forward is not a criticism of these teams or their abilities; rather, it’s about making strategic moves.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest developments at Warner Bros. Games, as per our perspective.

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2025-03-03 19:11