Microsoft’s may be interested in buying Warner Brothers Interactive

At that time, publishers like EA, Take-Two Interactive, and Activision Blizzard were reportedly interested in the acquisition, but according to The Information, Microsoft has also become a potential buyer for the Warner Brothers subsidiary. 

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment currently owns a number of well-regarded 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.  

Rumour has it that Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment planned to reveal multiple new games at E3 2020, including new Batman and Harry Potter titles. These games will reportedly be revealed at a DC event in August, acting as the perfect venue for a new Batman game reveal. 

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 sale of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. Right now, AT&T is over $150 billion in debt, which is why the company plans to sell off non-vital portions of its business.  

At this time, AT&T has not made a deal with any company, and no deal is expected for some time. Purchasing WBIE may 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.