Wonder Woman is looking for a job, but comments from Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO don’t bode well for those who want the old, traditional way, so it’s unlikely these games will be playable without an internet connection (on PC, Denuvo’s push for it rules it out by default…).
Bungie has failed to meet the targets it set for Destiny 2. Epic Games is also losing money (which is why it sold Bandcamp to Songtradr). Sony has postponed half a dozen live service projects. Meanwhile, what is Warner doing? They’re not putting the brakes on, they’re putting the pedal to the metal, so they’ll end up in the ditch around the bend…
“And much like the industry leaders, we’ve led with several key franchises, each of which is a $1 billion gaming property. Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, DC, which today is mainly Batman, and Mortal Kombat, whose latest release, Mortal Kombat 1, has sold nearly 3 million copies since its launch in mid-September. So we’ve got the proven IP and franchises, the world-class studios and publishing talent, and we intend to continue to invest more capital and more resources in the business.
Our focus is on transforming our biggest franchises from being largely console and PC based with three to four year release schedules to include more always-on gameplay through live services, multiplatform and free-to-play extensions with the goal of having more players spending more time on more platforms. Ultimately, we want to drive engagement and monetisation of longer cycles and at higher levels. We have specific opportunities. We have scale right now and we see significant opportunities to generate more post-purchase revenue,” said Zaslav during the Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call.
So don’t expect Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to get rid of the live service elements and see them continue to load up their games with monetisation. Monolith Productions is working on Wonder Woman, and one of their job postings openly mentions the return of the Nemesis system, along with the need to maintain a live service product or game for the lead software engineer they hire.
Zaslav also admitted that more should be done with the Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Superman IPs: “Our Harry Potter fans have immersed themselves in the Hogwarts legacy, playing more than 700 million hours to date. This engagement not only helps our games business, but also helps build and reinvigorate the entire Harry Potter franchise, and we know our fans want more,” he said of Hogwarts Legacy. He did not talk about MultiVersus, even though it is on hiatus.
So the future does not look promising…
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