The Warner Bros. gaming division could be heading towards having new owners, with AT&T reportedly considering a sale of the massive Interactive Entertainment unit including its games studios to the tune of about $4 billion in an attempt to help pay off the telecom company"s almost $200 billion debt.
A CNBC report that cites people familiar with the process says several behemoths in the gaming industry like Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two Interactive have shown interest in picking up Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. However, a deal has apparently not been reached yet, and is also not imminent.
If a purchase does happen, studios such as NetherRealm (Mortal Kombat, Injustice), Rocksteady (Batman Arkham), Monolith Productions (Middle-earth: Shadow of War), and more will have new owners. Well-known intellectual properties like Harry Potter and Batman that Warner Bros. owns presumably won"t make the transfer in a deal like this, but CNBC states that a "commercial licensing agreement where AT&T can continue to get revenue from its IP" is possible alongside the sale.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was reportedly planning an E3 presentation this year, but due to the event"s cancelation, no new announcements of any upcoming games have arrived yet. Rumors say that new Batman Arkham and Harry Potter games were slated to be unveiled during the event.
Source: CNBC