In a recent speaking event, WB Games President Jean-Briac Perrette expressed that the company plans to focus on free-to-play and mobile games. This move is an attempt to pivot away from the “volatility” of traditional AAA console titles, despite Hogwarts Legacy becoming the best-selling game of 2023.
In an event hosted by Morgan Stanley earlier this week, Perrette touched on WB Games’ trajectory for the next few years. More specifically, he discussed the company’s shifting focus to more “reliable” sources of income:
“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.
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 expressed a specific interest in mobile and free-to-play titles based on Warner Bros.’ expansive slate of popular brands. With IPs including Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC, the company is looking to find ways to create live-service adaptations of these franchises to churn out a more long-term stream of revenue.
This decision is likely influenced by the recent release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The company has already admitted that the game “fell short of expectations,” and a quick look at the live player count on Steam shows that active users have fallen to mere hundreds since the game’s launch. Even though Hogwarts Legacy was massively successful for them last year, it’s easy to understand why WB Games would be hesitant to make more titles like these.
These plans are a few years off, according to Perrette. The company is currently laying the groundwork, and they don’t expect to see significant returns until at least 2025. Perrette also briefly touched on the potential of “virtual worlds” and noted that as that concept continues to grow over the next several years, it could be an easy area of profit for them.
Truth be told, it’s difficult to know what’s going to sell and what won’t in the current gaming landscape. Communities have been clamoring for companies to release more one-off titles with complete stories that aren’t built around microtransactions or live-service frameworks, but even those titles can end up failing. Meanwhile, corporate bigwigs look at titles like Fortnite or mobile cash cows like Candy Crush and see nothing but dollar signs. It’s hard to say what will succeed and what will be a colossal failure.
Regardless, it seems that WB Games is shifting its trajectory for the foreseeable future. Don’t expect a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy any time soon.
Source: Morgan Stanley via GameSpot
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Should have made a AAAA game, like Ubisoft.
I am shocked at how blunt they are being though. Hogwarts sold well, but players stopped playing after completing the story. Suicide Squad sold poorly and players stopped playing before even finishing the story. But SS has a battlepass so let’s only make games with battlepasses and gacha elements from now on. Still charge $70 for these games, but always include ways of keeping players wallets engaged.