Warner Bros. Discovery had the best-selling game of 2023 with Hogwarts Legacy, but evidently, it wasn’t enough.
Following the problematic launch of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, WBD believes that the triple-A gaming industry is too “volatile” and will instead focus on creating live service mobile games.
J.B. Perrette, the head of WBD’s streaming and gaming section, made these statements during a conference session (as reported by GameSpot). Perrette reveals that the firm has enormous aspirations for its many IPs, such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and DC, but we shouldn’t expect single-player games.
“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?” Perrette goes on to add.
Of course, Suicide Squad already features live service components, which disappointed many fans when it was announced.
However, with Suicide Squad already “falling short” in WBD’s view, Perrette’s statements suggest that we will see more free-to-play mobile games, rather than expensive console titles with battle passes and other microtransactions.
“We’re doubling down on games as an area where we think there is a lot more growth opportunity that we can tap into with the IP that we have and some of the capabilities we have on the studio where we’re uniquely positioned as both a publisher and a developer of games.”
Perrette’s remarks come amid growing concerns that triple-A gaming is becoming unsustainable. Indeed, if a business as massive as Warner Bros. Discovery is giving up after one setback, especially after releasing the best-selling game of the year, it’s a damning indictment of the industry.
We’ll have to wait and watch how this affects WBD’s other premium console and PC titles. Mortal Kombat 1 is still receiving updates, and there are plans to add additional characters to the list. It remains to be seen whether this is still compatible with WBD’s new game approach.