AT&T Reportedly plans to Sell WB Interactive Entertainment – Rocksteady is up for grabs

Rumour has it that AT&T plans to sell its gaming division, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in a deal what is said to be worth around $4 billion. According to a report from CNBC, interested buyers include EA, Take-Two Interactive, and Activision Blizzard. 

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment currently owns a number of games studios, including TT Games, Rocksteady Studios, NetherRealm Studios, Monolith Productions, Avalanche Software, and WB Games Boston, Montreal, New York, San Diego, and San Francisco. These studios are responsible for hit games like the Batman Arkham series, the Middle Earth franchise and the Mortal Kombat series. 

AT&T acquired Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment in 2018 as part of its acquisition of Time Warner, WBIE’s parent company. This deal has reportedly placed AT&T in a lot of debt, something which the company plans to mitigate with the same of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. 

At this time, AT&T has not made a deal with any company, and no deal is expected for some time. Purchasing WBIE will not come with the gaming IP rights to popular franchises like Batman and Harry Potter. AT&T will likely provide their buyer with a licensing agreement which will allow AT&T to generate revenue from these franchises while allowing their buyers to create new games with their intellectual properties.