WB Games Says It Plans to Double Down on Live Service Despite Suicide Squad Failing to Meet Expectations

05.03.2024 - 20:13 / ign.com / Harry Potter / Morgan Stanley / Says It

Warner Bros. Games wants to further invest in live service even after Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League failed to impress.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and President of Streaming and Games J.B. Perrette spoke about the company’s strategy during a recent Morgan Stanley event. He acknowledges the success of projects like the single-player Hogwarts Legacy, which managed to be last year’s best-selling game in the U.S., but says the business of AAA console releases can be “volatile.”

“That’s a great business when you have a hit like (Hogwarts Legacy). It makes the year look amazing,” Perrette said. “Unfortunately, we also have disappointments — we just released Suicide Squad this quarter, which was not as strong. It just makes it very volatile.”

He explains that Warner Bros. is looking at its four major franchises — Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC — and is hoping to expand in the mobile and multiplatform free-to-play space. It will take some time for Warner Bros.’ efforts to come to fruition, with Perrette estimating we’ll see the impact between 2025 and 2027. He does say, though, that the company will release more mobile free-to-play titles later this year.

“Within the studio segment, 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 on the studio side, where we're uniquely positioned as both a publisher and a developer of games," he says.

This pivot will see the company emphasizing its live-service offerings, too. Perrette is interested, for example, in creating an ongoing project set in the world of Harry Potter.

"Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world on an ongoing basis?" he said.

It’s a strategy that will see Warner Bros. leaning on its billion-dollar IP in a way that is meant to create consistent revenue streams. The goal is to create “meaningful growth” in games “over the next couple of years.”

Meanwhile, many already view the company’s Suicide Squad game as a live-service project even though its developer, Rocksteady Games, seems uninterested in using that label. As for the Harry Potter universe, Warner Bros. has been clear that it wants to create more adventures in that universe, including a Quidditch game.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.