WB Games has been responsible for releasing some impressive games and there is a considerable fan base that supports the Batman and Mortal Kombat franchises. Despite the success of these franchises, there has been a suggestion that AT&T wishes to offload the subsidiary and this has created a lot of interest about which company would pick up the company. With the high-profile games that the publisher produces, it seems that a big company would be needed to purchase WB Games and it may be Electronic Arts.
It is unclear why AT&T wishes to sell Warner Bros. Games and critically acclaimed franchises like Mortal Kombat, but if the company is pursuing a new direction, this sale will likely give it extra financial aid. While it is unknown how much the studio and its projects, as well as rights, would sell for, but Electronic Arts has made it clear that they are very interested in absorbing the company.
COO of EA, Blake Jorgensen, discussed how EA acquires talent before addressing Warner Bros. Games more directly. The executive explained that the company wants to begin establishing relationships with talented developers rather than buying companies for their current IPs. This logic does track with development studios such as Respawn who were absorbed to make the new IP, Apex Legends. Jorgensen explained that when they purchased Respawn, "It wasn’t about Titanfall – and that’s no offense to Titanfall, it’s an amazing game and we’ll maybe see a Titanfall at some point sometime down the road, but it was really about the team." This example was used to contextualize the current situation with Warner Bros. Games.
While there has not been an official step in the acquisition Jorgensen explained "it might take some time but trust that we are more interested than ever because we see talent and building great new franchises is critical to the long-term growth for business.” It will be interesting to see if this approach is agreeable and it seems to run contrary to what many have cited as the advantage of buying WB Games. While it would be intriguing to see the talented team at the development company work on something new, it would also be a wasted opportunity to leave the licenses that the company works on.
With rumors of other companies like Microsoft acquiring WB Games, it will be interesting to see if money finalizes the deal or if artistic vision is a factor. There are rumors of another Batman game on the horizon, and the team may want to continue dedicating themselves to this area and as a result, they may not be a good match for Electronic Arts. Despite this, Electronic Arts are interested and with Warner Bros. Games being seemingly sold without its say, the team may have to accept whatever company acquires them.
Source: VG24/7