While not as infamous as Electronic Arts or Activision-Blizzard, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Gaming Division is one of the biggest publishers on the market. They are the marketing and publishing force behind the popular Mortal Kombat games and anything with Harry Potter title The gaming division for Warner Bros. has been up for bids for awhile with another large publishing company, Take-Two Interactive who owns Rockstar and 2k Games along with their subsidiaries. Electronic Arts and Activision-Blizzard have also participated in the bidding war. According to unnamed internal sources, the current deal is going for $4 billion, but nothing is secure.
A commercial licensing agreement offer is on the table that will allow AT&T to collect revenue on the IPs as well. While no official comment has been made, unnamed sources suggest that large purchase is unsure of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Gaming Division because they only turn a profit intermediately and do not completely own the rights for their most popular properties. It is unclear if J.K. Rowling or DC Comics would approve any transfer of their properties to a different company. If those transfers fail to happen if a purchase is made, then Harry Potter, Injustice, or the Batman Arkham games can be published without reentering negotiations to get a new license and those are their most popular brands other than Mortal Kombat.
Despite the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Gaming Division describing themselves as a crown jewel of the gaming industry since they are the only company that has consistently ported Hollywood products into successful game series, the possibility of any sale isn’t a certainty. AT&T will be undergoing a leadership change on July 1st, as former Warner Media CEO John Stankey is replacing Randall Stephenson as CEO of AT&T. AT&T as well as told shareholders that they are under no pressure to sell assets and that acquiring Warner Bros. was a financially sound move.