Warner Bros. focuses on Batman and Mortal Kombat after disappointing game sales

Key Takeaways

Warner Bros. is shifting its gaming priorities instead of focusing on its four main franchises.
Going forward, Hogwarts Legacy, Harry Potter via DC, and especially Batman, Game of Thrones and Mortal Kombat will be priorities for the company, according to the CEO.
Heavy losses at WB's gaming division have forced the company to reevaluate the way it does business.

Warner Bros. has some interesting IP across the board, including characters and villains that make up the larger DC Universe, Adult Swim, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and other hidden gems like Scooby-Doo and Samurai Jack.

But if you were hoping these properties would make it into your game, you're out of luck.

Following overall disappointing sales and financial losses, Warner Bros. reevaluated its game plan. As a result, the company is committed to focusing solely on four franchises: Mortal Kombat, Batman, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones.

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WB has decided the future

In WB's recent earnings call, CEO David Zaslav lamented the situation at Warner Bros.' Gaming Initiative. “I think we're going through the worst possible situation in the gaming business. It hasn't been that good,” Zaslav said, according to a transcript from Insider-Gaming.

In fact, WB has had some major misfortunes with its games. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has reportedly created a $200 million hole. Elsewhere, MultiVersus lost another $100 million due to its own failures.

These losses caused the company to essentially double down on its bread and butter franchises. “But we have four games that are really strong and have real supporters who love them, and we’re going to focus primarily on those four,” he said. “We're going to move away from trying to release 10 or 12 games, and I think we have a real opportunity to make our gaming business more stable by focusing on 15 or 20 different games.

“We have four strong, profitable game franchises with loyal global fans. Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, DC, and especially Batman. “We are focusing our development efforts on core franchises with proven studios to increase our success rate.”

Hogwarts Legacy is set to receive a definitive edition of sorts, and a sequel has been greenlit. Mortal Kombat recently released the Khaos Reigns expansion and it looks like it will continue to receive support in the form of additional fighters. As far as Game of Thrones is concerned, it's unclear what exactly the plans are.

Elsewhere, DC has Gotham Knights coming in 2022, and the villainous Suicide Squad featuring Batman in early 2024. Meanwhile, Monolith's Wonder Woman game appears to still be in production, and we may receive some new information before the end of the year. Either way, Zaslav's comments paint a bleak picture for fans of the WB IP. Having video games dedicated to the same bundle of IPs is definitely a recipe for overall fatigue.