Current Events > Microsoft, EA, Activision, and Take-Two interested in buying WB Interactive

(+) Yeah! (+)

The reports that Warner Bros. parent company AT&T was looking to sell off its WB games division just got a lot more interesting. New reports are now indicating that Microsoft is pursuing interest in purchasing Warner Bros. Interactive, which would make every studio under its umbrella a first-party Microsoft Games Studio. The latest report comes from TheInformation, who says it has multiple sources adding Microsoft to the likes of EA, Activision, Take-Two and others who are also interested in acquiring the multiple studios underneath the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment banner.

As noted by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, the sale is most likely only to include the talent, with licensing deals being worked out separately. Properties like The Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, LEGO, and Harry Potter would still live with Warner Bros. and AT&T, requiring licensing deals to have new games made, though its expected that franchises like Mortal Kombat would go along with the sale. Though its unlikely plans for any games currently in development would be affected by the sale, it still leaves a lot of questions up in the air.

The sale of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment would include the following studios and the talent pools at each one:
Avalanche Software
NetherRealm
Monolith
Rocksteady
TT Games
Five different WB Games studios
Theres still a lot of uncertainty around the reported sale, but Microsoft expressing interesting isnt surprising. The Xbox company has been vigorously acquiring a number of different high-profile studios to live under its Microsoft Games Studios umbrella, including Minecraft developer Mojang, Tim Schafers Double Fine, and hacknslash masters Ninja Theory.

The sale of Warner Bros. Interactive is already big news for the video game industry, but Microsofts reported interest really makes this one to watch. The possibility of the likes of NetherRealm, Rocksteady, Monolith, and the others becoming first-party Xbox studios could have enormous ramifications on the next-generation of console hardware.

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2020/07/06/report-microsoft-interested-in-purchasing-warner-bros-interactive-sale/

How did it come to this...

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Would much prefer MS to make the acquisition than any of those other shithole companies.
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Meh, so the bigger license franchise would just be open for anyone to make with an agreement and the biggest commodity they'd gain is Mortal Kombat?

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Microsoft pls.

What have Rocksteady been doing all these years anyway?

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alphagamble posted...

What have Rocksteady been doing all these years anyway?

Insiders are claiming it to be a Suicide Squad game.

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Good God, anyone but fucking Take Two

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Of those four, please let it be Microsoft.

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Imagine Mortal Kombat being an Xbox-exclusive first party franchise.

It's Rare all over again.

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Would be weird if Spider-man became a Playstation mascot and Batman became an Xbox mascot.

I still think it's gonna be some rando conglomerate nobody cares about though. I don't think Activision or Take Two would be all that different for WB Games developers since they were microtransaction/Games as a Service heavy anyway. The biggest risk are some of those developers being closed down.

If AT&T were smart they would use their movie/comic IP as some carrot on a stick. It was a large part of the publishers appeal so maybe the new buyer should get first right of refusal or something.

Solar_Crimson posted...

Imagine Mortal Kombat being an Xbox-exclusive first party franchise.

It's Rare all over again.

Funnily enough Killer Instinct seemed to do pretty well.

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Looking forward to a future where a couple of huge megacorps own 90% of the videogame market

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Wonder if Google would bid so they have something for Stadia?

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specialkid8 posted...

Microsoft pls.

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Darmik posted...

Would be weird if Spider-man became a Playstation mascot and Batman became an Xbox mascot.

I still think it's gonna be some rando conglomerate nobody cares about though. I don't think Activision or Take Two would be all that different for WB Games developers since they were microtransaction/Games as a Service heavy anyway. The biggest risk are some of those developers being closed down.

If AT&T were smart they would use their movie/comic IP as some carrot on a stick. It was a large part of the publishers appeal so maybe the new buyer should get first right of refusal or something.

Personally, a Batman exclusive would make me commit to building a gaming PC since many Xbox exclusives find their way to PC nowadays. Given the rumors around a Suicide Squad game and Gotham Knights game being in development, I may not have to worry about that unless those titles look extremely good and are exclusive to certain platforms

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Out of those companies, I'd rather Microsoft buy them.

Just because EA and Activision are complete scum and idk much about TakeTwo.
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EA would probably do the best job of managing them.
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The_Scarecrow posted...

Personally, a Batman exclusive would make me commit to building a gaming PC since many Xbox exclusives find their way to PC nowadays. Given the rumors around a Suicide Squad game and Gotham Knights game being in development, I may not have to worry about that unless those titles look extremely good and are exclusive to certain platforms

Microsoft have basically always kept up the existing platform agreements for games in development for studios they've bought. Psychonauts 2 is still going on PS4 even though it will technically be an Xbox Studios Game.

I doubt this sale will be finalized before those two games are announced, Future ones will possibly be impacted but it's also possible these developers won't be making DC games anymore regardless.

SamWincester posted...

EA would probably do the best job of managing them.

I think EA would automatically close down Avalanche, Monolith and WB Montreal. I remember they bought Bioware-Pandemic and immediately closed down Pandemic because they only wanted Bioware.

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The fact that they're selling the studios and not the ip is more interesting to me. I want to see Monolith and Rocksteady unshackled from Mordor and Batman. I want another Condemned god damn it.

Darmik posted...

Microsoft have basically always kept up the existing platform agreements for games in development for studios they've bought. Psychonauts 2 is still going on PS4 even though it will technically be an Xbox Studios Game.

I doubt this sale will be finalized before those two games are announced, Future ones will possibly be impacted but it's also possible these developers won't be making DC games anymore regardless.

I think EA would automatically close down Avalanche, Monolith and WB Montreal. I remember they bought Bioware-Pandemic and immediately closed down Pandemic because they only wanted Bioware.

True, that would be the case if Microsoft were to be the ones who acquired these studios. In addition, we wouldn't see any of these exclusives games for quite some time anyways. It's been 5 years since Arkham Knight and Rocksteady Studios has yet to reveal their latest project.

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Would whoever buys this even have the rights to DC Characters? Warner Bros would still own the rights wouldnt they?

Wuhan posted...

Would whoever buys this even have the rights to DC Characters? Warner Bros would still own the rights wouldnt they?

Warner Bros would still have the rights yeah.

It's possible they'll use exclusive licensing as some sort of incentive but we probably won't know that until they're bought.

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^Yeah, it says they're just selling the studios. IP would still need to be licensed out for now.

Rockstar should buy them.

EA would only sell you half of the game and then charge you for the rest of it.

Activision would do the same as EA

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