Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is up for sale, according to recent reports. The gaming division is responsible for a number of popular IP, including LEGO, Harry Potter, The Lord Of The Rings, and Batman.
As reported by CNBC (via Nintendo Life), parent company AT&T is planning to sell the gaming arm of Warner Bros. for "about $4 billion", in a move to reduce its $165 billion (£131bn) debts.
$4 billion is roughly £3.1 billion, by the way, if anybody fancied breaking open their piggy bank to take it off their hands. AT&T is also allegedly pushing for a deal that would include a "commercial licensing agreement where AT&T can continue to get revenue from its IP". Obviously, nobody wants to lose out on that Batman money.
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CNBC cited sources "familiar with the matter", but noted that these sources "asked not to be named because the discussions are private". According to these anonymous sources, Take-Two, Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard have all been eyeing up the potential with interest, but there's no word on a concrete deal yet.
This deal would also likely see WB Interactive studios such as Rocksteady and NetherRealm moved to new ownership. I honestly can't think of anything more terrifying than EA in charge of the Batman license. We've all seen the publisher's approach to Star Wars over the last few years.
This comes as fans everywhere expect the imminent reveal of the latest Batman and Harry Potter games. A report published last month suggested that Warner Bros. had originally been planning a massive E3 2020 press conference where it would unveil not only Batman, but the long-rumoured open-world Harry Potter game, too.
With E3 cancelled and companies making their own plans, one inside source claimed that Batman would instead be revealed in June. We've yet to hear anything official regarding Warner Bros. new plans in lieu of E3, sadly. Most recently, it was rumoured that the WB. Montreal-developed Batman game would be shown during the PlayStation 5 event last week. Obviously, this didn't come to pass.
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With Warner Bros. declining to comment on the matter, we'll have to wait and see how this one develops. Hopefully any potential deal won't impact the development of any titles, including the Harry Potter RPG, Batman, and the upcoming LEGO Star Wars title.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: Warner Bros, Lego