When a series of rumors began making the rounds that AT&T might be looking to sell of Warner Bros. gaming division to settle its debt, rampant speculation went wild across the internet as to who would buy the different studios that makeup WB Games and what this meant for the next generation of games. After all, WB Games is far bigger than most people think with eleven developers under the WB Games Banner across AAA video games, mobile games, and support teams.
For the time being, AT&T has squashed the rumors, and despite receiving interest from the likes of Microsoft and EA, WB Games looks to be staying put. Naturally, all of this speculation brings about a much larger question about the state of WB Games and its plans moving forward. With DC FanDome less than a week away and big-name games yet to be announced, the future of Warner Bros. Games appears to be doubling down on licensed properties including DC Comics and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Batman: Gotham Knights
Perhaps the biggest upcoming game to come out of WB Games is its currently unannounced Batman game, which may or may not continue the story of the Batman Arkham series. Late last week, Warner Bros. released the full schedule for DC FanDome, its 24-hour all-digital event taking place this weekend. As part of the schedule reveal, WB Games Montreal finally confirmed that it will be revealing its brand new game at DC FanDome in a 20-minute presentation which includes a Q&A session at the end. For those that aren't familiar, WB Games Montreal previously released Batman: Arkham Origins in 2013 and supported Rocksteady Studios with DLC for Batman: Arkham Knight; however, the team has been quiet for quite a few years.
According to multiple rumors over the last couple of years, WB Games Montreal has been working on a new Batman game since 2016 that is believed to be a soft-reboot and will be the first game in a brand new DC Games connected universe that includes the next game from Rocksteady. Going by the moniker Gotham Knights, the new game is said to feature the entire "Bat-Family" all as playable characters and will have players facing off against the infamous Court of Owls as the central villain. WB Games Montreal is in a good position right now to move away from Batman Arkham and set up its own new series of games, which accompanied with Rocksteady Studios and hopefully some additional teams, could create an incredible shared world around DC comics.
Suicide Squad
It's been five years since the release of Batman: Arkham Knight and fans have been eager to learn more about what Rocksteady Studios would be working on next. There was a time where it felt like a new rumor would make the rounds every few months with claims that Rocksteady was developing a new Batman game starring Damian Wayne, then it was a Suicide Squad game, followed by a Superman game, and even a Batman Beyond game at one point. But all of that speculation can finally end as Rocksteady has confirmed its new game is, in fact, Suicide Squad, and it will be officially unveiled in full during DC FanDome.
While the only thing known about Rocksteady's new game is that it's called Suicide Squad, reports on the game have made some bold claims that paint a strong picture for where WB Games is heading over the next few years. Suicide Squad is said to be the second game in the DC Games connected universe following Gotham Knights from WB Games Montreal and it will be a live-service game, similar to that of Marvel's Avengers or Destiny 2. Not in terms of loot but as an ever-evolving world, presumably with new characters and missions over time. While the DCEU film didn't do the property any justice, Suicide Squad is a fascinating concept and with the right comics influences, Rocksteady could easily make this great.
The Harry Potter RPG
Next to Batman: Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad, the leaked Harry Potter RPG might be one of the worst kept secrets of the industry. Rumored to be in development at Avalanche Software, the Harry Potter RPG will be set over 100 years before the events of Harry Potter, featuring an original story, eight different wizard classes, multiple locations from the series including the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade, and an honor system that allows players to be good or evil. From what we've learnt about the game so far, this could finally be the proper Harry Potter RPG players have been wanting for over a decade, and it's bound to be a smash-hit for WB Games with years of support and sequels ahead if Avalanche Software is able to deliver on its premise.
These three games make up WB Games big tentpoles for the next few years, but it's far from everything it has to offer. With eleven studios under its belt, WB Games also owns NetherRealm Studios, the developers of Mortal Kombat 11 and Injustice 2, Monolith Productions, the developers of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, and even TT Games, the developer behind the Lego games including the upcoming Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. With a little bit more focus on AAA games and less on the mobile space, WB Games looks to have a lot to offer players on the next-generation of consoles, and it's going to reveal a lot more this weekend at DC FanDome.
DC FanDome will take place on Saturday, August 22, 2020.