Netflix Co-CEO Gregory Peters has shed some light on WB Games’ future as a part of last week’s shocker announcement buyout deal. Warner Bros.’ gaming division was oddly unnoticed of the press releases, which had some wondering if it had been left off the table, however it seems there was a unique reason for its omission. Details regarding WB Games were shared in an investors’ call meeting (via PocketGamer), and well, to sum it up, WB Games just wasn’t of enough interest to be included in the unique announcement.
“While they definitely have been performing some great work in the sport space, we actually didn’t attribute any value to that from the get-go because they’re relatively minor in comparison with the grand scheme of things.”
-Gregory Peters, Netflix Co-CEO, President & Director
Now, the Netflix Exec didn’t appear to be totally slamming WB Games as he did provide positive input regarding its successes, and specifically, Hogwarts Legacy, which heavily taps into the highly profitable Harry Potter franchise. Nonetheless, he also admitted that Netflix hadn’t really “in-built” the gaming division into its buyout deal.
“Now we’re super excited because a few of those properties that they’ve built, Hogwarts is an awesome example of that, have done quite well, and we predict that we will incorporate that into what we’re offering. They’ve got great studios and great folks working there. So we predict that there’s definitely a chance there. But simply to be clear, we haven’t built that into our deal model.”
Netflix has been working on developing its own gaming division for a while, where it has partnered with other entities corresponding to Rockstar Games to supply mobile titles based on Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Peters noted these projects have been probably the most successful of their mobile offerings, and these “IP enhancements” may be applied to WB Games.
Nonetheless, now that Paramount Skydance has thrown its $100 billion bid into the ring, the potential for Netflix’s deal to undergo seems more doubtful, and so it may very well be a moot point on what it plans to do with WB Games. On the flip side of things, it does bring to the front how one other company may need other strategies for its IPs. The gaming division has had its share of ups and downs, including many layoffs and studio closures, lately, and a method or one other, could probably use a brand new direction to survive.